


The Punk & The Princess

by Astralda0602



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Absent Parents, Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Normal High School, Friends to Lovers, High School, Multi, POV Annabeth Chase, POV Third Person, Project Partners, Punk Percy, Punk Percy Jackson, Sally Jackson is a Good Parent, Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers, mortals au, percabeth, percabeth story, they just don't interact, though they're not really strangers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:01:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 111,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24305572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Astralda0602/pseuds/Astralda0602
Summary: Annabeth Chase didn't like Percy Jackson. She was told he's a nice guy, but she couldn't help her prejudgments. He was a punk, a C student, ditching classes and getting into fights. Annabeth was a straight A student, a cheerleader, president of the student council. Basically, they were everything the other was not. And they did not interact much. But as senior year comes, Annabeth's image of the punk boy sitting next to her in Latin slowly starts to change. Maybe, just maybe, Percy Jackson isn't as bad as she thought.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase & Frederick Chase, Annabeth Chase & Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase & Piper McLean, Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Nico di Angelo & Percy Jackson, Nico di Angelo & Thalia Grace & Percy Jackson, Percy Jackson & Sally Jackson, Thalia Grace & Percy Jackson
Comments: 101
Kudos: 286





	1. Day One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thanks for stopping by! Before we get started, I'd like to say a few things about this work.
> 
> So, this is primarily a Percabeth fic. I will be working on all the relationships tagged, but Percabeth is the main focus. Also, they're in high school, and they're mortals, so no demigod/god stuff. 
> 
> Also, full disclosure, I have no idea what American schooling system is like, so the school schedules and activities and stuff in this is all made up from what I've gathered from my research (which I understood very little of).
> 
> There isn't really much I need to say about this right now, this is mostly just an introduction to the characters and the character dynamics. There will be more chapters, but I don't really have a schedule by which I'm gonna update this. I'll try to post once a week (no promises). The chapters will be about this length, maybe longer, maybe shorter, we'll see. Anyway, let's get on with the story! Enjoy!
> 
> ~I do not own any of the characters mentioned, unless explicitly said so. All rights go to Rick Riordan.~

Annabeth Chase liked to think she had her life figured out. She was going to a good school, she was the top of the class, had some great friends, a bright-looking future, and a dream. She didn’t couldn’t really complain about anything. Sure, not everything was perfect in her life, but she was happy. Beyond happy actually. Especially now that it was time to head back to school. Call her crazy all you want, but she actually enjoyed school. Well, not so much school as learning in general. High school was the worst, and that was one typical teenager thing she agreed on, but she was so close to finishing it. Only one more year, and then she would be free. Until she started college, that is. But Annabeth didn’t worry about that much. She was an amazing student, and was fairly certain she was going to get a scholarship for a full ride at the NYU. So yeah, she had her near future all planned out, and ready to be taken on.

She woke up bright and early on September 1st, and jumped out of her bed with a smile on her face. She pushed away the blinds to let the reddish rays of the autumn morning sun seep into her room. She checked her clock. School starts at 8 am, and she had to be out of the house at 7:15 at least, so she had just over an hour to get ready. Seeing as how she had prepared everything the night before, she was in no hurry. She quickly hopped into the shower, letting the warm water wash over her. She stepped out after about twenty minutes and dried herself off. After brushing her teeth, Annabeth returned to her room, where she found her navy blue polka dot dress. It was a fairly nice day, so she decided to go with it and a simple white button-up sweater over it. She struggled a little to brush her crazy curly hair, but managed to make it look presentable in a simple high ponytail. Annabeth did wear makeup, but it was so subtle and so little of it that it barely counted. Just some rosy blush, a little mascara, transparent lip gloss, and some concealer in case she had any imperfections to hide. After all, she was known for always being spot on in everything.

Glancing at the clock, she realized she might not have had as much time as she originally thought. She quickly snatched her purse, stuffing in her phone, lip gloss, keys, earbuds, and a small notepad and a pen. It was only the first day of school, so she didn’t really need to bring any books or supplies. Annabeth slipped on her white flats and made way towards the kitchen. She didn’t really have time to make herself breakfast, so she just grabbed a granola bar from the pantry and ran out the doors.

Just as she had predicted, it was a fairly nice day. The sun was shining, the New York traffic was as bad as ever, there was a slight breeze in the air – a perfect first day. She just hoped everything went smooth at school, but knowing who all goes there, she didn’t hold too high hopes. It was likely that Leo or the Stolls were to cause some trouble on the first day, as the tradition goes. 

Annabeth walked down the streets with one earbud in, listening to music. She didn’t really have a particular taste, or a preferred artist or genre, she enjoyed almost everything that was on the radio. Along the way, she stopped by a small coffee shop and got herself a vanilla latte and continued her trek towards Goode High.

Annabeth strolled into the schoolyard with grace and confidence. She smiled and waved at some people she knew, and made her way towards the main entrance, where people were already slowly gathering. She walked up the steps and into the building, raising her shades so that they rested on top of her head. She made her way to the second floor, where the seniors and juniors had their lockers and most of their classes. Annabeth found her locker and typed in the combination. She found her schedule inside, as well as a welcome back card from the administration, updates on the news and rules concerning the school, dates of all annual celebrations and a list of clubs she could join. Annabeth glanced over the news and stuffed everything except her schedule in her purse. She studied the yellow and green paper carefully, content with her classes. She had Latin in her homeroom first period with Mr. Brunner, English Literature with Mr. Blofis, Honors Maths with Mrs. Dodds, lunch, History with Mrs. Clio, AP Science with Mrs. Reeves, and an alternating class of PE with Coach Hedge, Music with Mr. Papadopoulos, Art with Mrs. Minerva or Study Hall with Mr. D. A nice schedule, if a little packed. Knowing her, Annabeth was most likely going to be in school a couple of hours after classes for extra-curriculum activities every day too.

The blonde closed her locker to see her brunette best friend standing beside her. She had a blank expression on her face, making Annabeth instantly start worrying she did something wrong. 

Annabeth had known Piper since ninth grade, when Piper's family moved to New York from LA. They instantly became friends, though they are quite different. While both of them always tried to look good, Annabeth had never really been all that interested or devoted to fashion, whereas Piper was a real Beauty Queen, as their friend Leo liked to call her. You could say it was partly due to her relation with Silena Beauregard, one of the nicest, but also best looking people Annabeth had ever met. Silena is Piper’s half-sister, but they grew up together. Silena is a few years older, so when they moved to New York, she was already a junior. Another difference between the two was that Annabeth was always focused on her academics and future, and Piper was more of the living-in-the-moment kind of girl. But that played out very well for them – Piper would drag Annabeth out to parties and such so Annabeth had a social life, and Annabeth would help Piper whenever she needed help. And Piper was also that girl who thought a lot about boys, but never really dated much, partly due to her long time crush on a certain blonde jock. Annabeth never really had time for boys, nor was she interested. But still, even with all their differences, Annabeth really loved her best friend. She didn’t know what she would do without Piper. She was her rock to rely on, no matter what. And they honestly always had a great time together. But Annabeth also knew Piper could be very dangerous at times, and the glare she was sending Annabeth was really starting to unsettle her.

“I officially hate you,” Piper stated. 

“What?” Annabeth questioned, a little taken aback.

“Why would you make me read that book?” Piper whined, and Annabeth let out a relieved sigh.

“You finished it?”

“Last night, yeah. I cried like a baby,” Piper continued whining, “But it was really good, I loved it.”

“I told you you’d like it,” Annabeth smiled smugly. She had read _The Song of Achilles_ by Madelaine Miller many times, and she cried like an absolute baby every goddamn time. She knew Piper would like the book immediately, but it took some convincing to get Piper to actually read it.

“Let me see your schedule,” Piper grabbed the paper from Annabeth’s hand, examining it. She handed it back after a few seconds, “We’ve got History and the alternatives together. That’s about it, I’m afraid.”

“Well shucks,” Annabeth sighed. She had really hoped Piper would be in most of her classes. But alas, fates would not have it so, “Are we meeting up with the others for lunch? I haven’t seen any of them yet.”

“Yeah, I saw Leo and the Stolls when I got here. God knows I don’t want to know what new little scheme they had in mind,” Piper shivered, “But I haven’t seen anyone else. And yes, we’re still up for lunch. I’ll send a text later.”

“Cool,” Annabeth nodded, just as the bell rang, “We should get going. I don’t wanna be late.”

“Of course you don’t,” Piper smiled, and she and Annabeth made their way down the corridor towards their homerooms. The students around them slowly started filing in their classrooms as Annabeth and Piper parted ways at the end of the corridor. Piper’s homeroom was in the Biology classroom, on the third floor, and Annabeth’s just by the staircase on the second floor. Annabeth promised her friend to meet her by the lockers for lunch and entered her classroom. She noticed that she was among the first people in her homeroom. She found an empty seat in the middle of the classroom. She always preferred to sit at the front, but she had found out that her dyslexia is more bearable with a little distance. Yes, she was dyslexic and ADHD, but she managed to be the top of the class all throughout her schooling anyway. 

She watched absentmindedly as people slowly started filling in the single desks all around her. She knew most of them fairly well, they were all nice people. That was one thing she loved about Mr. Brunner’s classes, there were no asshole jocks or bitch queens in them. And the meaner people were always well behaved. Mr. Brunner just had that effect on them all. Most of the kids in his class were normal students, ones who didn’t draw too much attention to themselves. Annabeth was not one of them, as much as she wanted to be. She was the top of the class, on the cheer and debate teams, architecture and green club, as well as president of the student council. So yeah, she was known around the school pretty well. Most even described her as one of the popular girls, which Annabeth tried not to be. When all was taken into account, she was your average student who was just a little famous for her accomplishments.

But of course, not all students in her homeroom could be nice and good, there were also those she didn’t particularly like. One of them was the most popular guy in the school, but no one dared approach him. They all said he looked too scary to be talked to, but was insanely hot, which Annabeth frankly found ridiculous. Sure, he was handsome in his own way, but she really didn’t get what people saw in him. He stuck mostly to himself and his small group of friends, he never spoke up in class, he was always late and often didn’t even show up for school. Annabeth also found him quite dark, with all the black he wore. He was your local punk, you know, combat boots, ripped jeans, band shirts, leather jackets and fingerless gloves, and a number of piercings. He had two lip rings, an eyebrow stud, and three helix rings in his cartilage. Annabeth often saw him skating through Manhattan, since he lived just across the street, a few houses down from hers. She didn’t know much about him, other than that he was an exceptional swimmer and liked to get in trouble. He was famous among the other kids at school for his swimming records and his good looks, which Annabeth really couldn’t catch.

She had, well known, but not-known him since day one of high school. They always seemed to have most classes together, but they never uttered a word to each other. Other than their usual half-greetings, that is. Somehow they had gotten into a habit of greeting each other every morning in homeroom, but they didn’t speak other than that. Annabeth also often found him staring in her direction from the back of the class, and when she would look back at him, glaring her infamous glare, he would simply offer a smirk, to which Annabeth always only shook her head. It went on like that every day. Annabeth had grown used to it, but she never really liked him, and never made a move to speak with him or befriend him.

So you could say she wasn’t exactly thrilled when he strolled in, one earbud in his ear, pilot shades in his hair. He didn’t utter a word to anyone as he walked in and back towards his seat. Annabeth didn’t pay much attention to him, but she did notice a slight change in him. He had let his sidecut grow out a little, while the rest of his fair was a lot longer longer, covering his eyebrows a little, and he dyed his tips bright green, the color that matched his eyes. He was also maybe a little taller, so he was towering over everyone even more. Okay, maybe she did see the handsomeness in him everyone talked about, but it wasn’t her kind of handsome. 

She looked past him with an empty gaze and a bored look on, waiting to get their one interaction out of the way. The punk walked towards her, as he always did, even though that was a longer route to his seat. He arched an eyebrow as he passed her, “Chase.”

“Jackson,” Annabeth replied, her voice monotone. The boy merely nodded and without halting, continued his stride to his seat by the window, diagonally from Annabeth. The blonde shook her head and pulled out her phone, checking the time. Class was about to start any minute now. 

Annabeth was kinda sad that none of her friends were in her homeroom, but she supposed that came hand in hand with hanging out with more juniors than seniors. The only seniors in her friend group were Grover, whom she’s known since forever, Juniper, Grover’s girlfriend and Annabeth’s good friend, and Reyna, who Annabeth knew fairly well from debate club and some classes, but rarely really hung out with. Reyna tended to hang out with Jackson and his gang of punks and misfits, which was actually just the three of them – Percy, his friends Nico and Thalia. There were a few others, but Jackson, Grace and di Angelo were the elite. Nico was also Hazel’s older half-brother, but they were both juniors as Hazel started school earlier. And Hazel was probably the first person Annabeth and Piper befriended after starting high school. Thalia the older sister of Jason Grace, the captain of the football team. He was a nice enough guy, certainly nicer than almost everyone on their team. Piper had a major crush on the guy for ages, but she never acted on it. 

When it came to who Jackson hung out with, there were several connections to Annabeth and her friends. Even though Hazel and Nico were siblings, they didn’t interact much when at school. Annabeth only remembered the time when they had only just started high school, and some of the local mean girls were picking on poor little Hazel, but word got around quick enough about how Nico chased them off. Not to mention he had Thalia and Jackson there for support. It was similar with Thalia and Jason - other than a few words between the two in the hallway, they didn't interact. Annabeth remembered how a new girl once asked her if Thalia, Nico and Jackson were siblings, and promptly didn't believe her when Annabeth said they weren't. She didn't blame her for it - Thalia and Jason looked absolutely nothing alike, and neither did Hazel and Nico, while Jackson, Thalia and Nico literally looked the same.

Nico Annabeth had met a couple of times when at Hazel’s, but those were very brief interactions. Nico isn’t exactly the most sociable person. And as for Thalia, Annabeth knew her well. She’s known her since kindergarten in fact. They had kind of parted ways around sixth grade or so, when Thalia started getting into the punk scene and everything, but they maintained contact and actually hung out sometimes, very rarely, but they never really talked about Percy or any other of their friends, as a matter of fact. 

Annabeth had to admit that she applauded one thing about Jackson – he always stood up for those who needed a hand. Sure, he got into trouble a lot, but from what Annabeth heard, he usually got into trouble for beating up the goons picking on other kids, and she appreciated it. He was a big guy, and definitely a strong one too. He could and should stand up for the weaker students, and he does. No one ever asked him about how or why he got in trouble, but Annabeth knew because Grover told her how Jackson had chased off some of the jocks picking on him. You see, Grover had injured his legs, and needed crutches to walk for a couple of weeks, and that was a perfect opportunity for the bullies. Grover told Annabeth how Jackson just decked one guy and the others scrambled off. Jackson had a habit to escort Grover to class after that, until they were sure that no one would pick on him. After a while, the habit stopped, but Grover and Percy were seen together a lot. 

Grover tried to convince Annabeth that Jackson was actually really nice, and maybe he was back in the day, but he had changed a lot since then. Back when they started high school, Jackson looked more like a regular troublemaker, and now he looked like he really strayed off. During freshman year he wore hoodies and normal jeans, and didn’t have any piercings, but now, in their senior year, Percy was completely different, much more intimidating, much darker. Annabeth didn’t try to make friends with him before, and she certainly wasn’t about to now.

“Good morning class!” Mr. Brunner’s voice rang out through the classroom, pulling Annabeth from her wandering thoughts. Mr. Brunner was a kind-looking man, with warm eyes, melodic voice, nicely trimmed beard and a fun way of teaching. Rolling into the classroom in his wheelchair, Mr. Brunner immediately stopped all conversations around the room. Everyone loved him and his class, and never really wanted to miss an opportunity to listen to Mr. Brunner’s stories. Especially since he usually went over the Latin grammar quickly, and devoted most of his time to mythology, usually Greek and Roman, but sometimes he would teach his students about Norse, Egyptian or Sumerian mythology. Everyone loved those, because Mr. Brunner knew how to make them interesting, or better say, more interesting than they already were.

“Good morning, Mr. Brunner,” the class echoed. The teacher chuckled and took his usually position by his desk, grabbing some papers from the drawer.

“I hope you all had a nice summer, and are ready to take on this one last dreaded year of high school,” the professor laughed slightly and opened his binder, “Now, first we’re going to do the attendance, and then we have some new rules to go over, as well as the curriculum for the year. Now, let’s see…”

He started calling out names, and after a while, he got to Annabeth, “Chase, Annabeth?”

“Present,” Annabeth’s voice rang through the room.

“No doubt there. I hope to see you at the council meeting next week,” Mr. Brunner smiled.

“I’ll be there,” Annabeth returned the smile and the attendance continued.

“Jackson, Perseus?” Mr. Brunner called out.

“Alive, and unfortunately, present,” a deep, gruff, voice called out from the back, dripping with sarcasm. Annabeth craned her neck to see Percy sitting at his desk, smiling mischievously at the teacher.

“Well, I for one am glad to see you here on time. I only wish we could correct your punctuation with other subjects,” Mr. Brunner laughed a little. Even though it never really got into Annabeth’s head how, but Jackson was one of Mr. Brunner’s favorite students. It was all there for everyone to see. He never punished Jackson for his behavior, and actually bantered with him at times. One thing everyone appreciated was Mr. Brunner’s sense of humor, but no one quite got it as well as Jackson. It just so happens that Annabeth knows Jackson is a very sarcastic person, and Mr. Brunner appreciates that, so he usually fires right back at Jackson's jokes. What was even stranger was that Jackson actually seemed to listen in his class, other than listening to music or sleeping like he did in other.

“Okay, now that that is all over with, I must say I am glad to see you all here and accounted for,” Mr. Brunner continued, “Now, as you all know, it is your senior year, so you will be having some more responsibilities than usual. There will be dances, like always, parties, college orientations, scholarship hunting, prom, all that jazz. You all know how it goes. Concerning my subject, this year, you will spend most of your time doing projects. We will continue studying mythology and cultures of ancient civilizations, just as we have before, and you will be making presentations and writing essays on the topics we go over here at school. With that said, I will assign you partners for your projects right now, and you will be working with them until the end of the year. To make it all easier, I shall arrange a seating order.”

A collective groan echoed through the classroom, and Mr. Brunner nodded in agreement, “I know you don’t like it, but I do believe it will make things easier for the many projects you will be doing. Now, concerning your partners, I already made the pairs, no switching. There is a reason I put you with whoever I put you, and I cannot go about changing everything now. So you’ll have to buckle down and make do with whoever you’re paired up with.”

And just like that, Annabeth’s day went south. She didn’t particularly mind having to have a seating arrangement or a year-long partner until she hear who she was partnered with. She did not like it one bit, but there was nothing she could to about it. Looks like she is going to have double the work on her hands, because Mr. Brunner saw it fit to partner her up with Percy Jackson. She was sure it had been a couple seconds of her silent shock, just enough for her to register it, but before she did, she found the empty seat next to her filled in by a bundle of black clothes and black-green hair. Jackson didn’t spare her a second glance before he put his backpack on the desk and let his head fall against it. Annabeth merely sighed and turned her gaze back to Mr. Brunner, who kept giving out the pairs he shot her an apologetic look. This really was going to be a long year.

The rest of the class went by in a flurry. After Mr. Brunner quickly went over what they were going to be doing this year, he allowed them to relax a little, seeing as how it was only the first day back. Neither Percy nor Annabeth attempted to initiate a conversation, but rather both keep their attentions on their phones. Percy had his earbuds in, and Annabeth was texting Piper.

**Annabeth**  
_You will not believe what just happened in Latin…_

**Piper**  
_Spill_

**Annabeth**  
_Mr. Brunner assigned us year-long partners and seating arrangement. Guess who I’m stuck with?_

**Piper**  
_Oh no, not…_

**Piper**  
_Jackson?_

**Annabeth**  
_Bingo_

**Piper**  
_My condolences…_

**Annabeth**  
_:/_

Annabeth heard someone scoff slightly just as she sent out that last text. She craned her neck to see Jackson with a smile on his face, his head resting against his knuckles. For a moment she thought he might have been reading her texts to Piper when she realized that his gaze was firmly on his phone and his own texts. Seeing how offended she was at the thought of him reading her messages, Annabeth refrained from staring at his phone.

The bell rang soon after. Annabeth had just put her phone back in her bag when she saw the chair next to her already empty, no sign of her desk-mate anywhere in sight. She wasn’t exactly complaining, she really didn’t want to spend any more time around the guy. Slowly, Annabeth made her way out of the classroom. She decided not to go for her locker, seeing how there really wasn’t anything she needed there, and instead made her way to the next floor, where her English Lit classes were to be held. 

“Annabeth!” a voice called out from behind her. The blonde spun around to see Hazel jogging slightly to catch up with her. A smile spread across Annabeth’s face, her mood immediately restored upon seeing one of her closest friends. Hazel’s a very kind, very sweet person. Annabeth really loved her.

“Hazel!” she gave her friend a tight hug, her smile not wavering. It was always nice to hug Hazel. She was a lot shorter than Annabeth, and warm, and always smelled of cinnamon for some reason, “It’s soooo good to see you!”

“You too, it’s been forever!” Hazel replied.

“How was New Orleans?” Annabeth questioned.

“Oh, same old, same old,” Hazel waved it off. She had spent the better part of the second half of their summer break in her hometown, visiting her mother’s side of the family. Hazel’s mother died in a car accident when she was really young, but Hazel kept in good contact with that side of her family, while she lived with her father and brother. Annabeth found it completely unfair that someone like Hazel lost her mother like that. She never knew her mother, so Annabeth could relate. But she found it completely insane that anyone should lose a parent, especially someone as kind and sweet as Hazel. If she ever met God, Annabeth would probably fight them because of it.

“So, how’s your first day as senior going? Exciting?” Hazel asked, not letting the mood weaver.

“Not so great,” Annabeth sighed, “I got a year-long partnership with your brother’s friend.”

“He’s really not that bad, Annabeth,” Hazel chuckled. Hazel knew Jackson over Nico, and she claimed that the trio were really nice once you got to know them and their hard demeanor, “You should give him a chance.”

“I don’t know, we’ll see…” Annabeth trailed off, “I should get to class now. I’ll see you at lunch?”

“You’ve got it,” Hazel gave Annabeth one last quick hug and sprinted off downstairs towards her next class. Annabeth chuckled and made for her own classroom. She was surprised to see it almost full. She searched for a table to sit at when she found an empty spot a little in the back. She got held up with Hazel, and didn’t have time to find a better position. Still, third from the back isn’t so bad. Only that the desk was already half occupied, but Annabeth imagined Reyna wouldn’t mind her sitting with her.

“Hey Reyna,” Annabeth greeted, “Mind if I sit with you?”

“Not at all,” Reyna grinned and gestured to the seat. Annabeth returned the smile and sat down beside the dark haired girl. Annabeth knew Reyna from the debate club, but they didn’t hang out much. She was a great sportswoman, the captain of women’s soccer team, and the second best at kick-box. The only person who managed to outshine her there was Clarisse la Rue. Reyna was also really good friends with Jackson and his gang, but she mostly hung out with her soccer teammates. She was really nice when you got to know her, if a little intimidating. She was very sharp, very straight forward. She knew what she wanted and how to get it.

“So, how’ve you been?” Reyna asked.

“Good, good,” Annabeth replied, “You?”

“Amazing, I’ve had the best summer yet,” Annabeth cocked an eyebrow in question, “I went to this summer camp with my kick box group, near San Francisco. It was really cool, we got to learn and practice some new styles. Can’t wait for the club to start meeting again next month! I’m gonna sweep the floor with them, just you watch.”

“I’m sure you will,” Annabeth laughed in agreement. Just then, the professor walked in.

Annabeth liked Mr. Blofis, he was nice. He was a great teacher and very patient with her, given her dyslexia. He never lowered her grade if it could be avoided, as Annabeth was an amazing student and he didn’t want to ruin her overall score, so he would work with her slowly, until she was finally able to connect the dots.

“Morning class. I hope you had a decent summer, a nice rest, and are ready for the new and final year!” Mr. Blofis announces and receives a few yes’s and nods in agreement, but otherwise the classroom remains quiet, “Now, it’s only your first day, so we’re not going to be doing anything much, just the attendance and I’ll give you your first book assignment, in case anyone wants to start on it early. I will e-mail you the tasks for the assignment sometime during the week, so no hurry, we’re not analyzing it until the end of the month. Now, Chase, Annabeth?”

“Present,” Annabeth calls out as the attendance starts. 

A few more students are called out before, “Grace, Thalia?” No reply came.

“Let’s get this over with right now,” Mr. Blofis murmured, “Jackson, Perseus?”

No reply either. Annabeth’s heart kind of sank at the thought of sharing yet another class with Jackson, but at least she doesn’t have to sit with him in this one, if he decides to show up.

“Typical…” Mr. Blofis shakes his head and continues the attendance. Sometime by the end of it, there is a knock on the door and two people step in. Jackson and Thalia. Annabeth took notice of their grins as they stood in the doorway, as well as their similar way of clothing. Beside her, Reyna snickered.

“Ah, Percy, Thalia, decided to bless us with your presence?” Mr. Blofis questions sarcastically as the two scramble inside.

“Sorry for running late, it was her fault,” Jackson laughed as they made way towards the back of the room, to the only available desk in the classroom, which just coincidentally happened to be right behind Annabeth and Reyna. 

“Not true,” Thalia smacked Jackson on the back of the head, before turning to face the amused teacher, “It was di Angelo’s fault.”

“Doesn’t matter now, just sit down and try to behave. Or at least stay quiet. And please don’t make this a habit again,” Mr. Blofis sighs and goes back to whatever he was talking about. Annabeth tried to pay attention, but she frankly couldn’t find it in herself to concentrate. Next to her, Reyna was turned to the two punks, chatting away, promptly distracting Annabeth and not even bothering to include her in their conversation.

“Now, I’m just going to shuffle you around a little, seeing as how there's a few peace-disturbers here,” Mr. Blofis said, shooting a pointed look in Annabeth and her little circle's direction, and earning a groan from the students, much like Mr. Brunner, “Let’s see… Annabeth, why don’t you come up here to the front with Reyna?”

Annabeth smiled in gratitude, as she really didn't want to sit that close to Jackson, and made her way to where the teacher gestured with a rather annoyed Reyna. Annabeth knew she would much rather sit with Jackson and Thalia than with Annabeth, but at that moment, she was just glad to be as far away from Jackson as possible. Mr. Blofis also moved Thalia to the other corner of the room, so she and Jackson wouldn’t really be disturbing the class as much, though total prevention was impossible.

The rest of English and her Honors Maths were completely and utterly boring. Mrs. Dodds hated just about everyone except the three main bitches of the school, and that meant she hated Annabeth too, but Annabeth also hated her, so there’s that. At least she finally had a class with one of her friends. Juniper and she were amazing friends, and even though you probably wouldn’t guess it because of her devotion to protecting the environment, but Juniper was amazing at maths. They spent most of that class chatting, and Annabeth for one was grateful that her being an Honors student meant one more pro over the regular calc – Jackson wouldn’t approach that classroom within fifty yards, or even Mrs. Dodds, but Annabeth couldn’t really blame him for that. Absolutely no one but the three students she liked, liked her. She had a nickname one of the students gave her a couple generations back – Fury. The nickname stuck to that day, and she was better known by it than her real name.

Juniper and Annabeth separated after class, agreeing to meet again at lunch and headed towards their lockers. Annabeth had everything she needed in her purse, but she promised t meet Piper there, so they could go to the cafeteria together.

“Okay, I officially hate Mrs. Venus,” Piper groaned as Ananbeth reached her, “Remind me again why I chose to sit through one more year of her crazy French classes?”

“I really have no idea,” Annabeth laughed a little, “Come on, the other will meet us at the cafeteria.”

“Oh, actually, we’re going out,” Piper exclaimed and dragged her downstairs towards the main entrance. Annabeth wasn’t really opposed to eating out, but she didn’t exactly have anything real to eat, just a granola bar she grabbed that morning. She planned on getting food at school.

“Don’t worry, Grover is bringing us all enchiladas,” Piper made a face, “And a salad for me.”

Annabeth laughed. She swore that Piper could somehow read minds. They found their friends sitting below an oak tree in shade. The school had a fairly big yard, so students could eat outside if they wanted. Everyone was already there – Leo, Hazel, Will, Juniper and Grover with enchiladas. Annabeth and Piper flopped down between Hazel and Juniper, taking their foods. Leo was a cool, but rather annoying guy. He insisted that he was a womanizer, even though he never had a girlfriend. The poor guy was always turned down by everyone, but that didn't stop him. Annabeth admired his confidence. He was also a really good mechanic, and really smart when he was serious. Will was a literal sunshine of a boy, with a quest to become a doctor. Annabeth had known Grover ever since kindergarten. He was a nice guy, very eco-friendly. He was also Juniper's boyfriend, and it would be their one year anniversary soon, if Annabeth wasn't mistaken. She was happy for them. They seemed very happy together, not to mention that they were into the same things, so they could do them together.

“Okay, spill the beans,” Piper spoke up, “What happened in Latin?”

“Nothing much really,” Annabeth shrugged, “I just got paired up with Jackson for year-long partners, and have to sit with him once a day.”

“Oh come on, Annabeth, I’ve told you before,” Hazel groaned, “He’s really nice. You should at least give the guy a chance. Why are you so against him anyway?”

“I’m not exactly against him, we just don’t… I don’t know, we don’t really vibe,” Annabeth shrugged, “I suppose he’s alright from all you and Grover told me, but I really don’t want to spend more time with him than I must.”

“I don’t know, I don’t blame you. The dude’s scary,” Leo snickered a little.

“Percy? Scary?” Hazel laughed, “It will never get into my head how people associate those two words with him. Or even my brother. Thalia I get, but those two are literally the opposite of scary. The biggest dorks I know, that’s for sure.”

“Are we talking about the same people here?” Will added deadpan, to which everyone laughed.

“Never mind that now, I’m sure you’ll survive,” Piper patted Annabeth on the back.

The rest of the lunch went by pretty calmly. That is, until the queen bitches decided to come parade around. Annabeth was just chatting with Piper when she heard someone start shouting.

“For the last time, Drew, no, I will not go out with you! No, you aren’t pretty! No, I am seriously not the least bit interested! No, no, and no! It’s been a no for three years, and it’s not changing now either! Now fuck off, I’m getting sick and tired of you!” a deep, furious voice yelled and Annabeth saw Percy Jackson stomp away, fuming, from a dumbfounded Drew Tanaka, the local queen bitch. Drew had been bragging about how she’s gonna be Percy Jackson’s girlfriend since freshman year, and every time she asked, Jackson turned her down as loudly and as clearly as he did now. But Drew was persistent, always saying how she’s the hottest girl in school, and the hottest girl goes with the hottest guy, which in her book seemed to be Jackson.

Drew stomped her foot on the ground as Jackson joined his punk friends, who were howling with laughter. Annabeth noticed Thalia, Reyna, and Nico di Angelo there, as well as some other random girls and guys. Her attention was drawn back to her own friends when Hazel nudged her in the shoulder.

“Say what you will about the guy, but at least he has eyes,” she laughed. Everyone agreed with her. Drew might have been pretty, but she wore far too much make-up that it just wasn’t visible anymore. She looked like plastic, literally. And her clothes were way to exposive. Annabeth could never get it into her head how she imagined that she, in her five inch heels and short pink skirts and deep-V shirts could go with Jackson, a dude covered in piercings and wearing nothing but black leather.

“Hey nerds,” Drew Tanaka greeted in that sickly sweet voice of hers, “How’s it going?”

“Jesus Christ, what do you want, Drew?” Annabeth replied, “Couldn’t bother Jackson, so you’ve come to bother us?”

“Oh, shut up. I just wanted to wish you all a great final year of being losers,” Nancy butted in. 

“Get lost, you can’t even think of proper insults anymore,” Annabeth scowled at the four. Well, two. Rachel Elizabeth Dare and Calypso Ogygia were pretty nice, Annabeth honestly had no idea why they paraded around with bitches like Drew and Nancy. At least they never insulted people like the other two did, they were just… there.

“Sure, honey,” Drew pursed her lips and turned on her heel, marching away, “We’ll see you nerds around.”

“Unfortunately,” Grover added after they were gone.

“Whatever,” Juniper sighed, standing up slowly, “Come on, class is about to start.” 

Piper and Annabeth bid the other good-bye, and made way for their History class. They wove through the crowded hallway, talking about this and that. They were among the first people in the classroom, so they got a nice seat in the middle. Annabeth greeted some of her friends as they filed in. She enjoyed history classes, because the professor, Mrs. Clio, was really passionate for her subject and explained the lessons in a simple, and yet fun way. She watched the students file in, and was content to see Jackson was no where in sight. She even let herself hope he wasn’t in her class, but those hopes were crushed pretty quickly, as he was just as late as ever. He took a seat in the back, and remained quiet during the period, and of course, was the first one out the doors.

Annabeth was making her way towards her next class, Science, with Piper, who only walked with her, since the rooms were next to each other. Annabeth didn’t miss her friend’s deep flush as she saw Jason Grace rounding the corner. Annabeth had met Jason during cheer practice, and he seemed nice enough. He went to an all boys school during the time she and Thalia hung out, so she didn’t meet him then. He seemed much nicer than Thalia was these days. And Annabeth had to admit, he was pretty handsome. He was tall, with close cropped blonde hair, sky blue eyes, and muscular frame. But Jason wasn’t really her type. Piper had a thing for him for ages, which was really hilarious to watch. It was even funnier when she noticed that Jason was walking right towards them, a small smile on his face. He was in his varsity jacket and jeans. Annabeth tried to suppress her laugh when he halted before them.

“Hi,” he greeted, if a little shyly.

“Hey Jason. What’s up?” Annabeth tried to cover up for Piper’s lack of words.

“Not much. So, um, I’m throwing a beginning of the year party at my place this Saturday. You guys in?” He asked, scratching his neck. Annabeth thought about what she was doing that weekend, and considered rejecting, as she wasn’t all too fond of parties, but she knew Piper would drag them anyway.

“Sure, what time?” she asked, as Piper still hadn’t recovered.

“I’ll text you the details. Could you ask the others if they’re coming too?” Jason smiled.

“Will do. Thanks for the invite,” Annabeth nodded. Jason nodded too and moved so they could pass.

“Nice seeing you, Piper,” he called over his shoulder with a small laugh as the two girls passed him. Piper flushed even deeper and buried her face in her hands. Annabeth laughed and patted her on the back.

“That went awful. I didn’t even know what to say!” Piper complained, “Lucky you were there, if I’d been alone, I’d’ve probably spent the whole conversation gaping at him.”

“That’s what friends are for,” Annabeth winked and slipped into her classroom.

Science was uneventful. Reyna was in that class with her too, and she and Annabeth mostly spent the time chatting. On Mondays, Annabeth had PE as her last period. Piper had that too, as well as Grover, Juniper, Hazel, Leo and Will. They were all seniors and juniors, so they had it together. Half the generation had PE on Mondays and Fridays, and the other half on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Grover never did PE, as he risked having to use crutches permanently, but he was required to attend regularly. Coach Hedge had only told them what they must bring to class and let them do whatever they wanted the rest of the period. Annabeth and Piper informed the others about the party. Grover and Juniper decided not to go, as it was Juniper’s mom’s birthday on Saturday. Will didn’t feel like going, but Hazel and Leo were on board. 

Annabeth spent the period observing what other people were doing. She saw Thalia, Reyna and a couple other girls playing football with Jason, Frank and some other guys. And by other guys, she meant Luke Castellan, Ethan Nakamura and Octavian August, the local bullies. Luke was one of the most popular guys in the school, and was the biggest asshole Annabeth had ever met. On multiple occasions she had to turn him down, telling him how she wasn’t attracted to people like him, but he was almost as persistent as Drew with Jackson. Castellan was a bully who acted like he owned everything and he could practically do whatever he wanted to anyone. Others were scared to stand up for themselves, as Luke was really big and always had at least three other jocks with him. There were very few people he couldn’t touch – Annabeth’s friends, as he knew that would ruin his chances with her, Reyna, Clarisse la Rue, Drew and her friends, and Jackson, Grace and di Angelo. Luke made a mistake of picking on Percy back in freshmen year. Jackson usually just brushed him off, but then in sophomore year, he was probably tired of it all, and made sure Castellan stayed away from him as much as possible with a nice right hook. Annabeth witnessed it, and almost went over there and high-fived him. Jackson and Castellan got into a few fights after that too, the last one being when Percy decked him for picking on Grover.

Speaking of Jackson, she saw him on the opposite end of the bleachers, a smoking cigarette in hand, talking to Thalia and Nico. She didn’t pay them much attention, and instead decided to join in on Hazel and Piper’s conversation.

“We’re off to the mall Wednesday after school to go shopping for the party, you in?” Hazel asked.

“Yeah, sure, the meets aren’t starting until next month,” Annabeth agreed, “And I could really use some new stuff.”

After the bell rang, Annabeth and her friends decided to go for a pizza. She really didn’t have much better to do. Her dad is probably still cooped up in his study. He never leaves that place. So she’d be left alone watching a film in the living room or doing something even less productive. They didn’t have any homework yet, so she decided to tag along with the others. 

Annabeth got home a little after five, carrying a box of leftover pizza for her dad. Knowing him, he probably hasn’t eaten anything all day. Always drowning in his studies, Annabeth and he almost never spent time. He was also home very little lately, always leaving to go on a trip in the middle of the day or at night, always saying how he was close to a big breakthrough. Annabeth pushed the front doors open.

“Dad, I’m home!” no reply. Maybe he didn’t hear her. Annabeth slipped off her shoes and made way for the kitchen to drop off the pizza before she went up to call him down to eat. Her plans changed when she saw a note on the counter, along with some money.

_**Got a call from Toronto, had to leave right away. Be back in about two weeks.** _

Of course he had to. He always has to go on these trips of his. There was about two hundred dollars next to the note, probably trying to pay her off for his absence. Annabeth was a little disappointed that he only left such a cold note, no I hope you had fun in school, or I’m sorry I had to go, but she was also glad he left a note. On more occasions than once, her father forgot to let her know when he went away. The first time it happened, Annabeth was thirteen. He just disappeared in the middle of the night, no note, no money left, nothing. Annabeth was terrified, and she was furious when he picked up his phone after at least seven missed calls, explaining that he had to go, and hung up after less than a minute. Luckily, he was only gone for two days, and Annabeth managed. By then, she had learned to function on her own. Sometimes she was sure her father forgot she even existed. Her mother died a little after Annabeth was born, and her father simply wasn’t ready to be a father. He did his best as she was growing up, but slowly that turned to very little. She was about seven years old when he started distancing himself from her. There were times when she wouldn’t see him for days if she didn’t go up to him. Over the decade, Annabeth had grown used to it. She was sad her father and she had no relationship, but at least she still had a father. As distant as Fredrick Chase had been, Annabeth wouldn’t know what to do if she lost him too.

The blonde put away the note and left the pizza on the counter. She proceeded to clean the house, something she hadn’t done properly in at least two weeks. After she was done with the kitchen, living room and her room, Annabeth moved to the toughest task – cleaning her father’s study. It was a mess when she went in. Papers, notes, books, notebooks, pencils, pens and maps were scattered all over his desk and floor. There was a layer of dust piling on some surfaces. Annabeth sighed and started cleaning. She collected all the papers and stacked them neatly in their place. She grabbed the notebooks and stored them away in the drawers of her father’s desk, along with the maps. She shut down his still open computer and dusted the place. The last thing she did was collect his books and organize them on the shelf. She knew how her father liked them to be – top to bottom from lightest to darkest in color. 

By the time she was done there, it was almost half nine. Annabeth grabbed one last slice of pizza and devoured it. She hopped into the shower and washed off the sweat of the day. She slipped into her white pajama top and a grey bottoms with little red owls. After she had picked out tomorrow’s outfit and packed her bag, she checked that the front and back doors were locked, as well as all the windows closed. Grabbing her first Literature Assignment, Annabeth started reading. She had read _The Diary of Anne Frank_ before, but she decided it was best she read it again, so she had better idea of what she was getting into when they get the questions for analysis. The book was in the possession of her father before, but he had given it to her, along with almost all his books that didn’t concern his research. It was well worn out and the pages were slowly yellowing, but Annabeth liked it. It did take her a while to read through it, as the book was in standard print and not wide print, which is much better for her dyslexia. 

It was past eleven when she heard howling laughter from down the street. Furrowing her brow, Annabeth got up from her bed and pushed away the curtains. The street was dimly lit with the yellow street-lamps, but she could clearly see the shapes of three people walking down the sidewalk, clutching their sides in laughter. Squinting her eyes, Annabeth recognized them. _Where might Jackson, Grace and di Angelo be going at this hour of the night?_

Annabeth slipped back into her bed and turned the lamp on her bedstand off as the three figures rounded the corner, disappearing from her sight. She thought about where they might be going, and then she wondered why she was so interested in what Jackson and his friends were doing. Annabeth tried to push those thought away, but that only made them more persistent. She wasn’t sure when exactly she fell asleep, but that question was the last thing she remembered thinking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I hope you enjoy that! Like I said, I'll try to update once a week, probably on weekends, but no promises. Feedback is always welcome and much appreciated, so please, if you've got some time, leave a comment or something. Thanks!
> 
> If you've found any grammatical mistakes or typos, please point them out to me, as English is not my main language, so I am never sure if I got something wrong.
> 
> Anyway, I'm gonna go write more of this, and I'll see you all soon!


	2. Project Assignments and Girl Hangouts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annabeth and her punk partner get their project assignments. But before they can start working on that, Annabeth and her best friends hang out a little, as the blonde grows anxious of the impending "project-date".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I am so sorry I haven't been updating this. I know I promised to update weekly, but my computer broke, and I had to take it to a support center to get it fixed. When I got it back, the chapter I wrote was all messed up, and it took me some time to fix it. Hopefully I've learned my lesson, and will keep back-ups of the stuff I write.
> 
> Anyway, the chapter is here now, and a new one will be here on Sunday too. I've decided to set the update day on Sunday, as that is the day I have least responsibilities, so I can review the writing I do over the week.
> 
> I also started a Tumblr account where I post updates on my stories, and take requests and prompts. There's a link in my bio, or you can just look me up by the username (Astralda0602). You can see that I've started a Percabeth One-Shot series here, so I will be taking requests for that, as well as other stories for all the fandoms listed on the pinned post on my Tumblr. So if there's anything you'd like to see in this story, or maybe a separate story, feel free to contact me there.
> 
> Now, onto the chapter!
> 
> *I do not own Percy Jackson or any of the characters mentioned. All rights go to Rick Riordan*

The following morning was fairly uneventful. Annabeth got up and went through her usual routine. Her bag was packed the night before, and her outfit picked out. She pulled on her light denim jeans, a baby pink button-up, white sneakers, and a white leather jacket and had just enough time to go downstairs and make herself a nice, warm cup of coffee. The house was eerily quiet without her dad there. 

Or maybe it wasn't, it just felt emptier, even though only his study looked different. She didn't mind her father going on an occasional business trip every now and then, but he was gone more than he was at home usually, and when he was at home, he was cooped up in his study, so much that Annabeth felt like she lived alone all the time. She imagined the time when she would take off for college, and get her own little apartment, find a roommate, or maybe even get a dorm at the campus. That sounded nice, living with someone who you would see every morning, and not just when they came downstairs to get a sandwich and go back to their room.

She pushed those thoughts away as she walked to school. Annabeth had a car, but she preferred to walk on sunny days, as Goode wasn't all that far from her house. The day was just as nice as the one before, with the exception that it was a tad bit windier. Annabeth hugged her jacket closer to her chest and sipped her coffee. She liked it black without sugar, that's when it tasted the purest. The walk was peaceful, and Annabeth enjoyed the peace while it lasted.

The blonde didn't see her best friend by their lockers when she arrived, thinking that Piper was probably on her way to class, as Annabeth had arrived a little later than usual, having stretched out her walk as much as possible. The blonde left her things in her locker in a hurry, grabbing only what she needed for the first three periods, and walked hurriedly to her homeroom. Surprisingly, she was still among the first people to arrive. She took her usual seat, glancing at the chair to her right, remembering who was to sit there in just a couple of minutes. Annabeth opened her textbook, hoping that some reading would distract her from the punk who hadn't yet gotten there.

Mr. Brunner rolled into the classroom just after the bell. The seat next to Annabeth was still empty. She didn't dare hope Jackson was skipping, as it was only the second day of school, but a girl could dream. Mr. Brunner greeted the students and began the lesson, which was just a skim of all they had done last year. Annabeth was just about to answer Mr. Brunner's question when a knock echoed throughout the classroom, and the doors opened. Jackson poked his head in and grinned, walking through the doorway. He looked almost just the same as yesterday – a band shirt, ripped black jeans, fingerless gloves, leather jacket, and combat boots. In his green-tipped hair, his pilot shades nested, glistening in the neon white lights of the classroom.

„Ah, Mr. Jackson, care to join us?“ Mr. Brunner returned Jackson's smile, if a little forced.

„Sorry, sir, and yes, I would like to join, if that's okay,“ Jackson laughed and made his way towards Annabeth. The blonde tried not to stare at him as he walked towards her, so she averted her gaze back to the board. She did, however, see how Jackson's grin dropped the second his back was facing Mr. Brunner.

The professor continued his lesson, forgetting the question Annabeth was about to answer as the punk took his seat next to her.

„Chase,“ he greeted monotonously, without sparing her a glance. His voice was deep and rough, rougher than usual, and Annabeth had to stop herself from arching her eyebrow.

„Jackson,“ she replied with the same flatness in her voice as in his, and continued listening to the lesson. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jackson nod and stuff an earbud in his ear. Annabeth was thankful for his complete lack of interest, providing her with fewer distractions than normal. Being ADHD made even the tiniest distraction a curse on the brain, and Annabeth genuinely wanted to listen to what Mr. Brunner was saying.

So it didn't help when Jackson started tapping his finger on the desk. His earbud was discarded somewhere, and he was glancing around looking very very bored, promptly distracting Annabeth when his gaze finally settled on her. She didn't even need to turn to see him, she felt his stare on her as if it were a hand around her neck. When she finally decided she couldn't take his staring and tapping anymore, she finally turned to face him.

„Could you, please, stop? I'm trying to concentrate on the lesson,“ she hissed, just audibly enough for him to hear, but not cause any more distractions in the lesson.

Jackson grinned and leaned back in his chair, his hands up in a surrendering gesture, „Sorry.“

„Thank you,“ Annabeth replied and turned back to Mr. Brunner, who was glancing at her and the boy next to her curiously as he continued talking. It was easier for Annabeth to concentrate now that there was no tapping, but Jackson didn't stop staring at her. She decided that asking him to stop again would be pointless, so she just did her best to keep her mind on the lesson.

„Alright, now, we have ten minutes before the bell, so let's talk about your first project,“ Mr. Brunner announced, „Since we will just be recapping what we've done last year, the project is due next Tuesday, so in seven days. Your task is to pick two Greek gods with your partner, and write an essay with a minimum of three thousand words and a PowerPoint presentation about the relationship between your two gods, whether it be rivalry, war, friendship, allyship, whatever you chose. I'll leave you to discuss this with your partners now.“

Annabeth heard Jackson scoff beside her. She sighed and turned to face him, ready to make sure he knows she isn't about to do the whole project on her own.

„Okay, what do you wanna do about this? And don't think I'm gonna be doing this all by myself, Jackson. I'd rather fail than do that,“ she tried to sound confident and stern, even though she knew she was lying.

Jackson chuckled, his shoulders shaking visibly, and plastered a grin on his face, „First of all, we both know that's a lie. Second of all, I'm not that big of an ass to leave you to do the entire project on your own. So, what do you want to do? Which god is your pick?“

Annabeth stared at him for just a second too long, bewildered. That went better than planned. She didn't think Jackson was actually going to help her out with the project. She shook her initial shock away, quickly picking a goddess, „Athena, goddess of wisdom and strategic war.“

„Okay then. A little lame, but fine,“ Jackson laughed quietly, „I'm picking Poseidon then. They have a popular rivalry, so that's something we can talk about.“

„Smart thinking,“ Annabeth had to admit, with a small nod. Athena and Poseidon were the perfect pick for the essay, „So, can we start this tomorrow and finish on Friday? Does that work for you?“

„Perfectly. Where?“

„The Manhatten library should do,“ Annabeth shrugged, pushing her notebook towards Jackson, „Give me your phone number, so I can contact you if I need to cancel or something.“

Jackson arched an eyebrow in a teasing manner, and scribbled down something in black ink. He handed her the notebook back with a smirk.

„Alright, I think we're good here,“ Annabeth took the notebook back just as the bell rang, signaling the end of the first period, „We'll talk time tomorrow.“

„Noted. See you in English, Chase,“ the punk mock-saluted her with his back turned to her, already halfway to the exit. How he manages to get out so fast will remain a mystery to Annabeth. 

The blonde collected her things and made way for the next class, which was, in fact, English. Since she was the first one to arrive, Annabeth pulled out her phone and texted Piper.

> **Annabeth**  
>  _Hey, what time are we going shopping tomorrow?_
> 
> **Piper**  
>  _We didn't agree on anything yet, why?_
> 
> **Annabeth**  
>  _Jackson and I agreed to do our Latin project tomorrow, so I need to know when we planned to meet_
> 
> **Piper**  
>  _Well, what time are you going with him ;)_
> 
> **Annabeth**  
>  _Oh shut up_
> 
> **Annabeth**  
>  _And we haven't agreed on anything yet, I needed to check everything with you first_
> 
> **Piper**  
>  _Okay, how does 4 sound?_
> 
> **Annabeth**  
>  _Perfect_
> 
> **Annabeth**  
>  _We should be done by seven, right?_
> 
> **Piper**  
>  _Yeah_
> 
> **Annabeth**  
>  _Alright then, 4 it is_
> 
> **Annabeth**  
>  _Could you let Hazel know?_
> 
> **Piper**  
>  _Sure thing_

„Hey Annabeth,“ Reyna appeared just beside her as Annabeth put her phone away.

„Hey,“ Annabeth replied, pulling out her books. She and Reyna sat in silence as the rest of the class filed in. Annabeth saw Thalia and Jackson walk in just a minute or two before the bell, which was probably the earliest they've ever gotten to class. She saw Jackson nod in her direction, which Annabeth replied to in the same manner, and take his seat in the back. Reyna dashed off to go speak with Thalia when she entered, leaving Annabeth alone at her desk.

* * *

The next two periods went by in a blurry. She and Reyna didn't speak much during English, both paying attention intently. When the bell finally rang, Reyna and the two punks were gone before Annabeth had even packed her things. Annabeth sighed and made way for her next class, where she barely paid attention to the lesson. Her mind had wandered off as she doodled in her notebook. She loved and appreciated art, but she was never much good at it. It was too free for her, too unrestricted. She preferred order, which is something that she could find in art, but it just didn't feel right. So the only art she paid much attention to was sketching interesting buildings, dreaming about the day when she might build one like that. It was her lifelong dream to become an architect, just like her mother. She did not remember her mother, but she knew that she was a very successful architect. In fact, Annabeth's favorite spot in the whole wide world was the park right across the street from the best building her mother had ever designed. Her father told her that that building was her mother's proudest work, and Annabeth often found herself just sitting on a bench, staring at it, wishing she knew her mother, or to see her smiling over her work, or just thinking about whatever was bugging her. It was her little spot, the favorite one in the whole wide world.

Before she knew it, Annabeth was at lunch with her friends. They were sitting in the canteen, joking around. Annabeth and Juniper were chatting about something from their Maths class, making fun of the Fury who had already given them three hours worth of homework. 

„What are you doing after school?“ Piper had butted in on their conversation suddenly, making Annabeth jump slightly. The blonde glared at her, and Juniper giggled and started up a conversation with Will Solace.

„Homework mostly,“ Annabeth shrugged.

„So no plans?“ Piper questioned.

„No plans,“ Annabeth replied.

„Okay then, you're coming over to my place, I need your help with operation Grace,“ Piper whispered.

„Operation what exactly?“ Annabeth laughed.

„You and Hazel are going to help me figure out how to win over Jason Grace,“ Piper whispered again, „I need to figure out what to do, so I can make a good first impression at the party.“

„Can't Silena help you with this?“ Annabeth groaned. She was probably the last person anyone should ask for advice on flirting. Silena on the other hand, was practically Aphrodite. She was really good at the whole love and relationships stuff.

„In case you forgot, Silena is halfway across the country,“ Piper arched an eyebrow in exasperation, „But she will join us on Skype to help out if she can make it.“

„Do you really need my help with this?“ Annabeth groaned, trying to think of an excuse from the situation, but nothing was coming to mind.

„Yes! You're my best friend, so you are obligated to do this,“ Piper smirked evilly, „The plan was to do this tomorrow after shopping, but you have your little date with mister Black-Leather-Hot-Stuff,“ she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

„Uh, first of all, you never said anything about this, and second of all, it's not a date, it's just a project we are working on,“ Annabeth clarified, „But fine, I'll be there at 3.“

„Thank you, Beth, you're the best,“ Piper gave her a huge grin and a side hug.

„I know I am,“ Annabeth laughed, before putting on a deadpan expression, „But call me Beth again and I might just change my mind.“

„Usually I would, but I don't want to risk this,“ Piper laughed and continued munching on her salad. Annabeth shoved her in a friendly manner and continued eating her own salad (sometimes one ought to eat a little healthy).

Their conversation ceased soon after, as the bell had rung, signalizing the end of the class. Annabeth found herself listening to some rather boring History lesson. Sure, she liked History, but at times, with her ADHD, it truly was hard to keep all her focus on the lesson, especially one that didn't pique her interest. She enjoyed ancient history, Greece, Rome, Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, and such. She honestly didn't care much for anything after the fall of Rome, with the exception of art and culture. That was actually the only aspect of history that she enjoyed – art. She adored it, and preferred it greatly compared to war and bloodshed that occurred over all those years.

She noticed that there was an empty seat in the back, and was glad to see it empty. Jackson was probably ditching already. Though he usually didn't cause much trouble unless people and teachers called him out, Annabeth didn't really enjoy his general presence in the room. It seemed to bring a whole tense vibe to it. Now that he wasn't there, she actually found the atmosphere much more relaxed, even if she didn't really enjoy that particular period as much as she usually does.

The rest of her classes went by slowly and calmly. She took neat notes in Science, making sure to jot down every important thing Mrs. Reeves said, knowing the notes she took down will come in handy later. Mr. Papadopoulos was probably the most laid back professor in the whole world. He just told them that that year they will be focusing mostly on their own works, which Annabeth supposed she was excited for. She wasn't exactly the best songwriter there was, but she was lucky that Mr. Papadopoulos's class didn't only focus on music, but dance and theatre too. She wasn't exactly sure why it was called Music, and not Performing Arts, but she didn't care. 

The important thing was that, while she couldn't simply sit down and write a song, she could write a short musical piece. In her mind, the difference was that „a song“ is something you would hear on the radio, while a musical is a story told in lyrics. She could probably do that. The only question she had to ask herself was, could she perform it? It was necessary for her grade that she performed her project, and she was very unsure of her abilities in that department. She supposed she could ask some of her friends in that class to team up; she could write the piece, and they could perform it. Though that would raise the question, who would be willing to perform? The only people she could think of from her friend group were Piper and Will, and both were juniors, meaning she couldn't ask them. 

She decided to think about that issue later, as they hadn't really even been assigned the project yet, just told that there would be one. For the time being, Mr. Papadopoulos had just let them play some music and do whatever they wanted, so long as they didn't cause trouble. Annabeth had just sat back in her chair, with an earbud in, listening to some mobile radio station. She didn't really have a musical preference, nor time to pick something that resonated with her much. She just listened to whatever was on the radio. True, she didn't like most of it, but she didn't care enough to pick something.

The blonde decided to simply spend the period working on some homework from her Maths class. There wasn't much of it, but if it meant more free time later, Annabeth was content to do it now. She didn't have anything better to do, and she did have a pretty packed schedule for the week, she was unsure when she would catch some time to finish all her homework. But even then, her attention didn't stay on the tasks before her long. Instead, it latched onto the black-clad figure passing by her and towards Mr. Papadopoulos.

She couldn't really believe her eyes, but she was also sure they couldn't lie to her. There was Percy Jackson, pulling up a chair to sit by the teacher, and talking to the teacher willingly. It must be opposite day. Jackson despised school and everything school-related. Especially teachers. She would sooner believe that the Sun had actually been a projection in the sky, rather than an actual star, than that Percy Jackson would willingly go talk to the teacher. And not just that, he was actually in deep conversation with him, pointing at something on a notebook before the two, occasionally crossing something out and writing down something new. She watched as inconspicuously as possible as his foot tapped against the floor, and as he bit the pencil in his hand. The aviators on top of his head reflected the sun seeping in through the windows directly into her eyes, but she didn't mind it too much. She was actually observing as his green-tipped bangs fell in front of his eyes.

Annabeth's eye was caught by Mr. Papadopoulos. He raised an eyebrow at her and whispered something to Jackson. Too late had Annabeth realized what was going on, and looked away, she was caught staring. Jackson had slightly lifted his head up, smirking as he looked up in her direction. Annabeth suddenly found her maths homework very interesting (it really wasn't so interesting). She didn't dare look back up until after a few seconds, and she found Percy with his back turned towards her, doing a quick handshake with the teacher before leaving the classroom. Now that was something she expected from him – leaving the classroom just like that – but she did not expect him to be doing handshakes with professors, no matter how chill they were.

Her mind was lost in curiosity, so the rest of the class went by fairly quickly. She found herself collecting the things from her locker and walking down her short route towards home. She slipped in quietly, though she didn't know why she really bothered to keep quiet, when she knew there was no one there. Her dad was on a trip, she had no one waiting for her, and no one to disturb with a noisy arrival. Sighing, she slipped off her shoes and went to the kitchen, to grab a quick snack before making her way to Piper's. Annabeth just grabbed a too-neat looking red apple from the bowl on the kitchen island, and rummaged through her backpack, searching for her homework. She knew she couldn't finish all of it in the fifteen or so minutes she had before she had to start making her way to Piper's, so she decided to bring it with her. 

Surely Piper and Hazel can handle most of the Mclean/Grace drama, Annabeth could make occasional comments and just focus on her work. She was probably being a bit of a lousy friend for not expressing more interest in Piper's „problem“, but Annabeth never really cared much for relationships. They were time-consuming, and frankly a waste. Why bother looking for a relationship now when they are inevitably going to break up? Very few people find their _true love_ in high school, so why even bother? Better focus on her studies and future when she could potentially start looking for a relationship, than look for one now, let the guy waste her time; the time she could spend studying and preparing for her post-high school life. 

But Piper cares. She cares about all that relationship and love and stuff. She cares about what people think about her, how they see her. Annabeth does too, but not to that extent. Piper would be bummed if she found out someone didn't really like her, and try to make friends with them through making some changes, whereas Annabeth would just shrug and move on. She wasn't sure which method was healthier, but that was how they functioned. Annabeth didn't care about having a boyfriend, and she definitely didn't have the slightest bit of a crush on someone. Piper, on the other hand, was massively in love with Jason Grace. Isn't it Annabeth's duty as her best friend to help Piper make her dreams come true, and help her get with Jason? 

Annabeth decided not to dwell on the thought too much as she grabbed her bag and left the house. She should and will help Piper, and then they will do their homework together, or something. Just because Annabeth found high school dating lives boring and unnecessary, it didn't mean that Piper shares her opinion, and Annabeth was fine with that. If her friend cared about it so much, Annabeth would help her out.

* * *

Before she knew it, Annabeth found herself knocking on the massive doors of the Mclean mansion. Piper's family, or rather just her dad, was extremely wealthy, and of course, owned a huge house. And when she said huge, Annabeth meant huge. Three stories, massive back yard, most modern tech, a housekeeper, pool, everything. Piper's dad is Tristan Mclean, a hugely popular movie star, so he had no trouble affording Piper the best conditions and life he could. Annabeth had met Mr. Mclean a couple of times, and he seemed nice enough, though Piper usually avoided talking about him, especially to new people. Her reason was simple: she didn't want people to be around her just for who her father was, she wanted real friends; and Annabeth found it totally reasonable. While she couldn't really relate, she did understand.

Piper appeared in the doorway not half a minute later, and welcomed Annabeth in. Even though she had been at Piper's house before, Annabeth had always marveled at the place. The high ceilings, the modern look and style, the windows and doorways, all very modern, but embroidered with simple, yet outstanding ancient elements; an occasional Greek column in the corner, the simple arches at the doorways, the balcony, everything was perfectly balanced. As an aspiring architect, Annabeth found it quite impossible not to marvel at the beauty of the place.

She followed Piper up to her room, where Hazel was already laying on her back on Piper's huge bed. The whole room was slightly bigger than Annabeth's living room, and Annabeth had a pretty big living room. The walls were plain white, with colorful butterflies and flowers and swishy lines, ranging from baby pink to light blue, to green, to yellow, red, orange and purple. There was a big dark desk, with a giant bookshelf, filled with more memorabilia than books, a walk-in closet, a separate bathroom, a vanity, a full-size mirror, the huge bed, a recliner, a small sofa, a beanbag, and a small round table. Piper's room was perfect for a gathering of her friends, though they would all usually just lounge in the living room, as Piper, much like Annabeth, practically lived on her own, now that Silena was off to college. 

„Okay, let's get this over with,“ Annabeth sighed as she placed her bag down next to the sofa, flopping down onto the bean bag, her usual spot when in Piper's room, „What are we actually doing?“

„Well, I was thinking you two could just, I dunno, like, give me some tips on what to do?“ Piper found her feet incredibly interesting, probably trying to hide her blush.

Annabeth couldn't help but laugh a little, „And you think Hazel and I are the best people for this job? I mean, Hazel has been drooling over Frank for two years now, and I couldn't care less about boys!“

„Oh yeah? I would bet you ten bucks I can name a guy you are intrigued by!“ Hazel challenged.

„Bring it on,“ Annabeth smirked, knowing there was no one that could bring her the victory.

„Hmmm, I don't know Hazel, Annabeth definitely doesn't have an eye out for anyone,“ Piper spoke, her voice dripping with sarcasm, „Definitely not for a certain black-clad punk who she just won't stop talking about.“

„Oh yeah, definitely not him,“ Hazel snorted, also in sarcasm. Annabeth was a little taken aback. She definitely did not care for Jackson in the slightest. Why would she? He's a punk, a troublemaker, she despises him!

„Ooooh, she's blushing!“ Piper squealed, jumping up and down slightly.

„Uhh, am not!“ Annabeth tried to defend herself, but she knew it was pointless. She did feel her cheeks burn a bit.

„Oooh, you so are! Pay up, Annie,“ Hazel smirked victoriously.

„Uhh, I don't think so. I do not care for or like Jackson in any way!“ Annabeth protested.

„I didn't say you did. I said I can name a guy you are intrigued by, and it is clear as day Percy Jackson has your interest, one way or another,“ Hazel arched an eyebrow.

„Although, with this most recent evidence, I would say our dear Annabeth Chase might not be as boy-proof as she would like us to think,“ Piper teased.

Annabeth groaned and hit Piper with a pen. She reached into her backpack, grabbing her wallet and handing Hazel a ten-dollar bill. The dark-haired girl smiled victoriously as she pocketed the money. Annabeth flopped down on the beanbag again, deciding that trying to fight their accusations might not be the best course of action. It would probably only make the teasing worse. She knew in her heart that she did not like Jackson one bit, and dreaded her meeting with him tomorrow.

Piper's computer screen lit up, and Piper accepted Silena's call. The mesmerizing black haired girl appeared on the screen, as beautiful as ever, smiling and waving at the three.

„Hey gals!“ Silena greeted cheerfully, „What's up?“

„Oh not much. We're just teasing Annie here about a certain Percy Jackson,“ Piper winked at her sister. 

Silena oohed in interest, planting her hand below her chin, as if in thought, „I always said you two would make such a cute couple.“

„Okay, for the last time, I do not like Jackson in any way! Can we please move on?“ Annabeth demanded, though a chuckle escaped her mouth. She knew all this teasing was all in good fun, but that didn't mean she liked it in any way.

The girls laughed, but dropped the subject. The rest of the evening was spent with the girls (mostly just Silena) giving Piper tips on what to do at the party on Sunday. Annabeth decided that she wasn't too much help in this department, so she and Hazel focused on their homework. Annabeth didn't have all too much trouble with her work, so she opted to help Hazel with her own Maths problems, which Annabeth found a little too complicated for students who had spent only one period studying that particular lesson. She, of course, didn't have a hard time with it, as she had gone over it all last year, so she was happy to give Hazel some tips.

It wasn't too long before Silena had to go meet with Beckendorf for a study session, and the girls decided to call a flirt-session end. It wasn't too late yet, so the three of them huddled up in Piper's living room, watching _„Just Like Heaven“_. Chick-flicks weren't really Annabeth's thing, she was voting for _„The Shining“_ , but she got outvoted. She paid little attention to the film, and let her mind wander somewhere else. She didn't think of anything in particular, just about how she was totally watching _„The Shining“_ when she gets home.

Turns out that she wasn't actually about to watch the film when she got home, as it was almost eleven when Piper dropped her off. After the film was over, she and Hazel wanted to watch _„27 Dresses“_ too, so she stayed for that one. At least she found that one a little more interesting than the previous one. When that was over, the three girls lost themselves in talk, and Annabeth had to break it up when she saw how late it was getting. Once Piper dropped her off, she had a quick shower, made herself a small sandwich, and hit the sack, falling asleep almost immediately.

* * *

The next day was uneventful, at school at least. She got there at the same time as any other day, and made her way towards her Latin class. Jackson had shown up fifteen minutes late, greeted her as he always did, and fell asleep almost immediately. Annabeth cast a glance in his direction every now and then, wondering how he got that bruise on his cheek. It wasn't big or prominent, and one would have to be sitting as close as the two of them were in the small desk to see it. Basically, it was just a little green tint below his eye, but she still wondered what stupid thing did he do this time. There were stories circling around the school every now and then about how he got the bruises, busted lips, or occasional cuts. Most would say he was in a street fight, but Jackson never confirmed anything, nor did Annabeth really care.

When the bell rang, he jumped up, startled. He quickly scanned the classroom, and once he realized what was going on, let his head drop back down onto the backpack he was using as a pillow. Annabeth chuckled as she collected her things, deciding to check if they were still meeting for the project that evening.

„So, does seven work for you? For the project?“ she asked. Jackson merely looked up towards her, a bold eyebrow arched up.

„Sure. We'll be done before nine, won't we?“ he replied, his voice gruff from sleeping.

„Definitely. Probably even earlier,“ Annabeth nodded.

„Good. I'll see you at the library at seven then,“ he gave her a goodbye-nod and left the classroom. 

Annabeth made her way towards her next class. She didn't see Jackson or his friends until lunch when they only grabbed some food and left the courtyard. She didn't see them in any of the classes later either. She spent the lunch joking around with her friends, and paying attention in the classes that followed. She had Study Hall that day, which was uneventful, as Mr. D was probably the most careless professor in the whole world. On the way home, Annabeth grabbed some takeout and made her way towards her house, to catch up on some homework before she had to meet with Piper and Hazel to go shopping. She worked on some Trig stuff, before packing her bag. She decided to take it with her right away, so she doesn't have to rush home before she has to meet with Jackson for the project. The blonde grabbed her Latin textbook, as well as one of the Mythology books she owned, her notes from last year, and her laptop. Before she knew it, she heard the honk of Piper's car outside.

„Hey,“ Piper greeted as Annabeth slid into the passenger seat.

„Hey. We pickin' Hazel up?“ Annabeth asked, to which Piper merely nodded and took off.

Hazel also lived in a mansion of sorts. Her dad was a rich businessman and owned a very big house. Though he was very strict, so Hazel rarely had friends over for parties and gatherings. Piper hit the horn of the car once again, and the two waited for Hazel to come out, listening to some Taylor Swift song on the radio.

The front door opened fairly soon, and two figures stepped out. Hazel shouldered her purse as her brother Nico locked the doors. Annabeth didn't know him very well, but she knew he wasn't the most sociable person in the world, so it didn't surprise her when he just kissed Hazel's cheek and rolled away on his skateboard without so much as even looking in Piper and Annabeth's direction. Hazel rolled her eyes and slid into the backseat.

„Hey, guys. Sorry about Nico, I told him to at least give you a wave, but alas,“ she sighed.

„All good, Haze,“ Piper laughed. Neither she nor Annabeth had expected any kind of greeting from di Angelo, so there was no offense, „Now, who's ready for some shopping?!“

„Whoop whoop!“ Annabeth and Hazel laughed as Piper took off. The designated driver turned up the radio as some rap song came on. Believe it or not, Piper was a huge rap fan, and a great rapper herself, though she rarely showcased her talent.

The trio pulled into the parking lot of the mall fairly quickly, seeing as the streets were less clogged than usual. They wasted no time in getting in, and into the first store around the corner. As always, they had decided to first go browse and then buy once they knew what they wanted to buy. Annabeth knew she wanted to buy some new button-ups and simple T-shirts, so she paid a lot of attention to those. Piper and Hazel, on the other hand, were searching for more party-oriented clothes. 

Before she even registered what was going on, Annabeth found herself trying out some very uncomfortable clothes and shoes, at Piper's order. She actually had to admit she quite liked how they looked on her. Piper knew Annabeth hated revealing clothes, so she picked out something that would be party appropriated, while also Ananbeth approved. In the end, Annabeth had found herself a tight silver-gray top, ripped dark jeans, nice black wedge sneakers, and a black leather jacket, which she never imagined herself wearing. She wasn't a fan of leather all that much, and especially black leather. It made her look a little too rock, too rebel-y, and she did not want that, but she had to admit she looked good in it. Maybe she was a little too strict towards black leather jackets. Perhaps Piper was right, your wardrobe wasn't complete without one black leather jacket, it goes with everything. It's only a matter of how you wear it.

Piper and Hazel had assured her she looked amazing in the new outfit, and convinced her to buy it, along with some other similar clothing, as she looked „way better in that than her usual all-business attire“, at least according to Piper. She had always told Annabeth she should dress a little more laid back, not so serious, as if she was already a grown-up woman with a job and a career. She would say that Annabeth should enjoy the liberty of teenage dressing while she still had it.

Piper and Hazel found themselves the perfect outfits too. Piper looked absolutely amazing in a tight, neon yellow sleeveless shirt, with a collar that wrapped around her neck and exposed her back, black knee-height boots, skinny jeans and a denim jacket. It was mostly all Piper actually. Very few girls could pull off an outfit like the one Piper wore there. And Piper, as well as Silena, simply looked amazing in everything and anything they put on. Seriously, the two of them could be smeared with oil grease, with a banana peel on their heads, dressed in a trash bag, and they would still make it work somehow.

Hazel had went in a little different direction than the other two, opting for a simple royal purple knee-length dress, a yellow button-up sweater, and yellow flats. Much like how Piper looked breathtaking in everything, Hazel looked cute in just about anything. Her chocolate hair contrasted perfectly with any color, so she looked nice in most combinations, and her kind and cute face and small build contributed to the cuteness in the girl greatly.

Their shopping was over soon. The girls took their bags of new clothing and saw that they still had about an hour before Annabeth would have to go meet with Jackson for the project. Seeing as how they were all starving from the amount of walking they did around the mall, the three grabbed themselves some McDonald's and ate. Piper had a small salad, Annabeth grabbed a Big Mac and some fries, and Hazel got herself some Chicken Nuggets and a milkshake. The three sat around joking for a while, talking about this and that, mostly about the upcoming party and Piper's nervousness over it. Annabeth didn't really get why Piper was so nervous over a party. She understood that it was Jason Grace's party, and that Piper hoped to get closer to him, but he was the host, he would probably be too busy socializing with everyone there to just spend time with her. He was one of the most popular guys at school there was probably going to be a lot of people at the party. Annabeth wished the best for her friend, but she also had to be realistic. Sure, she could be proven wrong any time, but she also didn't think Jason would be as free to spend to much time with her. 

Before she knew it, it was time for Annabeth to head to the library, which was, luckily, close to the mall, so she could walk there. She bid Piper and Hazel farewell, after shutting down some teasing comments from her two best friends, and made way for the meeting with Percy Jackson. She didn't understand why she was feeling as nervous as she did. It was just Jackson. True, they had never really spent time alone together, or even had to exchange long conversation, but still. She shouldn't feel this anxious, should she? What if he doesn't show up? What if he was just messing with her in class yesterday, when he told her he wouldn't let her do the whole project on her own? What if he decided to ditch her and embarrass her before all his friends? What if he only comes to sit around and not do anything but mess with her? 

Would he do that? Sure, Jackson was an asshole, but would he really do that? To the best of Annabeth's knowledge, Jackson only messed around with figures of authority, and those who messed around with others, like Castellan and his goons. She had never heard a story where he picked on helpless kids. But they weren't exactly friends, more like some sort of rivals? It was clear that Annabeth didn't like him, but she wasn't sure how he felt about her. He never publically stated his discontent, but he never really tried to befriend her either. Would he not show up because he knew she didn't like him? Or to prove that she was right about him?

Annabeth pushed those thoughts aside. She was blowing the situation way out of proportion. Jackson wouldn't ditch her because he didn't like her, or she didn't like him. He had an opportunity to get a good grade working with her on this project, why would he skip out on that? No sane person would, or a person who cared about their grades. But then again, Percy Jackson probably couldn't care less about his grades. Would that be enough for him to skip out on the work? She did see Nico di Angelo going somewhere earlier, and if she had to take a guess, she would imagine he was off to meet with Thalia and Jackson. Maybe he would decide that continuing to hang out with them was better than coming to do schoolwork with Annabeth.

She was definitely overthinking this way too much. Who cares if he shows up or not? She can do the project on her own. She didn't really need his help. True, it would be easier with two people working on it, but Annabeth could get it done on her own too. It wasn't impossible, just time-consuming. Maybe she'd have to skip out on Jason's party if she had to work on the project. That wouldn't be all that bad, as Annabeth really didn't care much about going. Piper would lose a wing woman, true, but she'd have Hazel with her, and the others. Though chances were that Hazel will try to talk to Frank a little if he was there, but both of them would still have backup on their sides even without Annabeth there. She would look like a bad friend, but Piper and Hazel would surely understand if she had to work on a project for school.

Annabeth sighed as she was met with the glass doors of the library. She tried to calm her mind. She didn't care if Jackson came. She can do the project on her own. And she can do it in time to go to the party and be there for her two best friends. She can and will do it. Drawing in a deep breath, the blonde straightened up, her head held high, and pushed open the glass doors, striding into the library with confidence. She can do this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading! I apologize once more for the delay, hopefully it won't happen again. Feedback is welcome, as always. For updates on the stories, follow my Tumblr (Astralda0602). That's all from me for now. See you all on Sunday! Peace out!


	3. Project Sessions And Unpleasant Saturday Evenings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annabeth sighed as she was met with the glass doors of the library. She tried to calm her mind. She didn't care if Jackson came. She can do the project on her own. And she can do it in time to go to the party and be there for her two best friends. She can and will do it. Drawing in a deep breath, the blonde straightened up, her head held high, and pushed open the glass doors, striding into the library with confidence. She can do this.  
> \---  
> Annabeth and Percy meet up for their project for the first time, and Annabeth later has a very unpleasant, but also kind of exhilarating Saturday evening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This chapter contains mentions of/attempts of rape/non-consensual kissing, swearing, and a little bit of violence!
> 
> \---
> 
> Hey guys! So, new chapter's here. I don't really have much to say for it, other than this is the longest chapter I have ever written (almost 9000 words!) so I really hope you guys enjoy this one.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Percy Jackson or any of the characters mentioned. All rights go to Rick Riordan.

_Annabeth sighed as she was met with the glass doors of the library. She tried to calm her mind. She didn't care if Jackson came. She can do the project on her own. And she can do it in time to go to the party and be there for her two best friends. She can and will do it. Drawing in a deep breath, the blonde straightened up, her head held high, and pushed open the glass doors, striding into the library with confidence. She can do this._

* * *

She made her way into the library, to the counter where a shot, greying lady was sitting, typing furiously on her computer. Annabeth greeted her and reported why she was there. The lady smiled and showed her to a nice, secluded table near the back, by the window. 

“Thank you very much. Oh, and I have a friend coming to work with me, tall, dark hair, broody sort of guy. Could you just tell him where to find me?” Annabeth asked with a small smile.

“Of course, dear,” the lady answered and made way back to her counter. 

Annabeth glanced at the clock and saw that she still had just under five minutes before she was supposed to meet with Jackson. She decided to start right away, still unsure if he was going to come, so she pulled out her laptop and started it up. She grabbed her notes and Latin textbook from her backpack, and found what she had about Athena and Poseidon. She had some basic information there, but she decided to go and find some books on mythology.

It didn't take her long to find a good source of information among one of the numerous shelves in the big library. Annabeth had spent a lot of time in there, so she knew how to find her way among all those books. Though it did take her some ten minutes to find the right one. And when she returned to her little table, Annabeth found a pleasant surprise there.

Walking with her nose in the book she found, Annabeth emerged from the maze of shelves and back to the reading area. Looking towards her table, she saw someone seated there. He was tall, had green-tipped black hair, dressed in a crimson red shirt, ripped jeans, and a familiar black leather jacket. He looked completely and utterly out of place, and frankly, Annabeth found it hilarious how much his whole punk thing stood out among the general aura of the library. They certainly did not go well together, which was to be expected. Not only did the boy look like he had walked into the wrong building, but he also looked extremely bored, like it was the last place he would want to be, which it probably was. Annabeth imagined that he would probably rather even be at school than in the library, as he could mess with teachers there. She was glad that her things remained untouched though, and that his whole attention, or the lack thereof, was focused on adjusting his fingerless gloves.

“Jackson,” Annabeth greeted as she neared the table, trying to keep her voice as uninterested and bored as he looked.

“Chase,” he greeted rather enthusiastically, a small smirk on his lips. Annabeth certainly did not expect such a greeting from him, but she managed to keep her expression blank.

“Didn't think you'd actually show up,” Annabeth remarked, sliding into her seat opposite of him.

“Ooof, now Annabeth, please don't insult me like that.” He put his hand up over his chest in hurt, but the mischievous smirk and glint in his eyes did not escape Annabeth, “I gave you my word, did I not?”

“That supposed to mean something with you?” Annabeth scoffed.

“Now, now, say what you will about me, but I keep my promises. Always. Almost,” he retorted, his smirk growing into a small teasing smile, revealing his bright white teeth.

“Noted,” Annabeth nodded, secretly curious. Though she always saw Jackson as someone who could lie like it was drinking water, she wasn't so sure anymore. Even with that almost, which she imagined was a joke, there was something in his tone that told her that he was completely, dead serious with that statement. It certainly piqued her curiosity, but she decided not to focus on it. They have a project to finish.

“Okay then. So,” he did a little drumroll on the table, “what are we doing?”

“Well, we said we're working on the rivalry of Athena and Poseidon, yes?” Annabeth recalled their talk in class the previous day, “Well, I was thinking we could put the main focus on the competition over Athens, and maybe work over the Medusa incident too?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Jackson nodded, pulling out a big tablet, “So, what do you need me to do?”

“Well, I was thinking we could split this up,” Annabeth suggested, “I do the essay, and you put together the PowerPoint.”

“Sure,” Jackson agreed, “You start up on collectin' information, and send it to me, and I'll put it into the presentation right away. We could make a Google Docs for file sharing, so we can keep up with the other part of the project?”

“Okay,” Annabeth nodded, “You're surprisingly into this. I didn't think you'd actually do any work, to be honest.”

“Wow, just shoot straight forward, huh?” Jackson laughed a little, not looking up from his laptop. Annabeth thought she might have come off as rude, and it was truly not her intention, she only wanted to lighten the mood a little. She couldn't care less about what Jackson thought of her and her tone, but there was no reason to be rude to him right then and there. 

He must have sensed her uneasiness, as his laugh grew a little louder, drawing some disapproving looks from the people around them, “Don't worry, I'm not offended. And that statement would be true for most subjects. However, I happen to like Latin, and Mr. Brunner was always nice to me, so I try to do good in his class.”

Now Annabeth was interested. He said he tried to do good, but she knew from his grades that he didn't do all too well. If she wasn't mistaken, he did have a B- at the end of last year, but just barely. Most of his other grades did not go over a C-, so she did wonder how he managed to get a B- in Latin. She usually just dismissed it as Mr. Brunner letting him loose, but now that he says he does try, she wasn't so sure. Then again, he could be lying. Maybe he didn't care at all, and just happened to do good by accident once. And more importantly, why would she care? This is Percy Jackson, she couldn't care less about his grades and successes and failures. She should be focusing on her part of the project, not on his grades. Though a part of her did hope he meant it when he said he cared about Latin, as maybe then she won't have to redo the presentation, but she didn't dare get her hopes up.

Annabeth offered no response other than an understanding nod – even though she didn't understand a thing. More and more, Percy Jackson was becoming a mystery to her, one she was itching to uncover.

But that is a task for another time. For now, Annabeth merely focused on her part of the project as much as possible, finding information about Athena, Poseidon, and the city of Athens, and slowly compiling it into notes. She paid little attention to the boy sitting opposite of her, whose focus was on his tablet screen. He had a smart-pen in one hand, tapping the screen with it. When she looked up to see if he was actually doing any work, she had to say she was impressed. Jackson was uncharacteristically calm and quiet, which is something new to her. His dark, bold eyebrows were scrunched slightly, and the expression on his face was one of deep concentration and frustration. Annabeth didn't know why he would be frustrated, as he seemed to be almost excited for the project, so she didn't ask, thinking that she just imagined it all. She went back to her work, sharing the notes she collected in the Google Docs, so he can start compiling the presentation.

After a while, her work on the slow-coming essay was interrupted by a buzzing sound. Annabeth looked up to see Jackson shuffling and pulling his phone out of his jacket pocket. He quickly checked it and turned to her, “Hey, could we call it a day a little early? I had a thing at nine, but it got moved to a little earlier, and I need to be there now.”

“Um, sure, yeah,” Annabeth glanced at the clock and saw that it was already 8:15. “We can work on the rest from home, and maybe meet up once more on Friday to go over it all.”

“Sure. Same time?” Jackson asked.

“Yeah,” Annabeth nodded. Jackson flashed her a small grateful smile, something she didn't think she'd ever see on him and started packing away his things. Annabeth mimicked his actions, when a question popped into her head, “Hey, if you don't mind me asking, what's this _thing_?”

“Ooh, never knew you were so interested, Chase,” Jackson teased, a small mischievous smirk playing on his lips, “Honest to god, I am touched.”

“Ugh, okay, forget I said anything,” Annabeth groaned, putting on her jacket and shouldering her backpack. She didn't spare a glance at the dark-haired boy opposite of her as she made her way towards the exit.

The blonde came to a sudden halt when Jackson grabbed her by the elbow. She spun around to look at him, seeing a full-blown amused smile on his lips, and a skateboard she did not notice before, in his hand. “Hey, relax, I'm only joking,” the boy chuckled, moving past her, but walking slowly as to allow Annabeth to fall in step with him, which she did, “Thalia and Nico have a thing scheduled for tonight, and I promised to be there, since I am a small part of it.”

Annabeth merely huffed in understanding, though she lost her interest in the topic after Jackson's teasing comment. She heard him chuckle beside her, as the two exited the library. Annabeth turned to head for her home, as Jackson set down his skateboard.

“See you around, Chase,” he offered a small salute as he rolled away.

“Don't make it too soon,” Annabeth called after him, a small smile of her own playing on her lips.

“Oooh, nice one!” she heard him call out as he rolled around the corner, disappearing from her sight. 

Annabeth shook her head and started her slow walk towards her empty home. It was still pretty bright outside. The sun was just setting, coloring the New York sky in fiery shades of red and orange. She walked slowly, stretching out the journey. She made a stop at the supermarket, buying some soda and ramen for her dinner. She cooked the ramen when she got home, ate it quickly, and got back to the essay as some stupid TV show played in the background. While she did enjoy the topic, her eyes and head suddenly started aching, as the letters on the screen danced around each other. Sometimes she really hated her dyslexia. It wasn't so bad back at the library, but now that she was home, it was getting harder and harder to write and read. After about two hours of that, she just gave up, deciding to continue once her dyslexia got a little better. Annabeth had a quick shower and turned in for the night.

* * *

The next morning, Annabeth sat beside Jackson in Latin, in complete and utter silence. Their usual convo took place when he flopped down beside her, and that was the end of it. She wanted to ask how he was doing with the presentation, but decided not to. If she did, he might ask how she was doing with her part, and her pride couldn't take it if she confessed that she did next to nothing last night. The essay only had the introduction she wrote back in the Library, and a couple of sentences she could jam in last night before she gave up in the end. So she said nothing, only paid attention to Mr. Brunner's lesson. Jackson was leaning back in his chair, legs stretched out under the table, on his tablet. She was tempted to sneak a glance at what he was doing, but that would be rude.

When the bell rang, the chair beside her own was vacant before she even got up. She shook her head. It was such typical behavior for him, always the first one out of class. The blonde collected her things and made to leave for her next period when Mr. Brunner called back after her.

“Miss Chase, could you stay back for a moment?” he asked.

“Of course, Mr. Brunner,” Annabeth nodded and stood on the opposite side of the teacher's desk, “What is this about?”

“I just wanted to inform you that we are pushing the student council meeting early, so we are having it this Friday. I trust that you will be there?” Mr. Brunner explained.

“Certainly,” Annabeth nodded again. She'll simply reschedule with Jackson. And besides, she didn't mind having to reschedule, it means that their inevitable next session is pushed back, which is always good.

“Good then. I also wanted to check in on your project. I trust that you and Mr. Jackson are having no trouble working together?” Mr. Brunner asked in a curious, but serious tone.

“It is going good so far, I think,” Annabeth replied, “We're making some progress, although slowly. Though I can't deny that I am unsure of how much I can rely on him for this project.”

“I thought so. I know you may find this hard to believe, Annabeth, but Percy is a decent student, or at least, in my class. He has always worked hard here, and he is very smart, and talented, believe it or not. Mr. Papadopoulos and Mrs. Minerva have assured me of this many times. Give him a chance on this project, I know you will be impressed with his work,” Mr. Brunner spoke, slowly, but confidently. Annabeth definitely had trouble believing this. Jackson, talented? Jackson, hard-working? Jackson, smart? Something wasn't adding up there, but Annabeth chose not to object to Mr. Brunner's statement.

“I suppose I will believe it when I see it,” Annabeth replied.

“You will. Trust me, there is a lot more to Mr. Jackson that many don't know, but I have followed his academic career with interest, and I know there is more to him than meets the eye. I paired you with him, because I believe you can draw it out of him. And not just that, but I believe that you two working together will be beneficial for both of you in the long run,” Mr. Brunner concluded with a small smile on his lips. Annabeth replied with a confused nod and a small, unsure smile of her own, before Mr. Brunner sent her off to her next period.

She arrived in English just in time, but she found it hard to focus. Mr. Brunner's words kept replaying in her head. Something wasn't really adding up. Mr. Brunner seemed to think highly of the punk from his class. That boy who often skipped out on school, rarely met deadlines, had barely passing grades, came to school with bruises and scratches, he seemed to be high in Mr. Brunner's eyes. Why? What did Jackson do to deserve such praise from a teacher of all people? Was there really more to him than Annabeth thought? She always just wrote him off as that good for nothing punk, someone who would never amount to anything, someone who had no future before them, and didn't care about it. She always thought of him as some crazy party animal, riding around on bikes and smoking cigarettes. Certainly one of the best teachers in the whole school wouldn't think so highly of someone?

Before she knew it, Annabeth was at lunch, with her friends, but she paid little attention to them. Her focus was on the people in the cafeteria, trying to spot a certain black-clad group. She almost gave up when she finally spotted them. She saw Thalia and Reyna arm wrestling, Nico scribbling in his notebook, and Jackson with his tablet out, smart-pen in hand, tapping the screen. They weren't too far from her group, but Annabeth couldn't really make out the expression on his face. 

“Well well well, what do we have here? Little Annabelle has an eye out for Percy Jackson?” a fake-sweet voice called out, snapping Annabeth from her thoughts, making her skin crawl as Drew Tanaka and Nancy Bobofit appeared in her line of sight. It caught her off guard to see them there, even more for them to catch her staring. She was surprised Rachel and Calypso weren't there with them, but that was a topic for another day.

“You should know better, Annie, than to drool over another girl's guy,” Drew spoke up, a sickly-sweet smile on her lips, hiding her snarl.

“Honestly, Drew, you're getting upset over nothing,” Annabeth crossed her arms, quickly regaining her composure, “He's not really my type. And truth be told, I highly doubt your feelings are reciprocated, not even he would be so desperate as to date you.”

She heard her friends ooh a little behind her, as Drew's smile disappeared, the hidden, menacing snarl taking its place. Nancy mimicked her behavior.

“Listen here, Chase, you better keep your hands off him. I saw you two at the library yesterday, and I was not happy about it,” Drew hissed, “Jackson is mine. It's only a matter of time now. So you better back off.”

“By all means, have at him. This school has been missing some laughable material this past week,” Annabeth retorted, a smug smile playing on her lips, “Now go, chase your dreams. We need entertainment.”

Drew looked dumbfounded at Annabeth's witty comment. The color in her face could rival that of a tomato as she stormed off. Nancy trailed behind her, “You better watch your tongue, Annie. We'll make you pay for this.”

“I'd like to see them try,” Piper chuckled as the two queen bees got lost in the crowd. Annabeth's eyes swept over the cafeteria, catching Jackson's stare. He was looking right at her, an amused smirk on his lips. Annabeth saw him wink at her before he cast his glance back to his tablet. Annabeth chuckled victoriously, strangely proud of herself, and turned to spark a conversation with Piper.

* * *

“Hey, could we push the project session for tonight? I have student council this Friday, and that usually takes ages to finish, I'm not sure I'll be able to make it to the library in time,” Annabeth asked as she passed Jackson in their art class. She arrived a little later than she normally would, as Hazel held her up in the hallway. When she arrived, all the seats in the classroom were taken, except the one behind Reyna and Jackson, so she sat there.

Jackson twisted around to look at her over his aviators, a mischievous smirk on his lips, “Hello to you too, Princess.”

“Princess? Really?” Reyna sighed in exasperation beside him. Annabeth chuckled at her behavior.

“Yeah, I don't know where that came from,” Jackson shook his head in confusion, “And to answer your question, I can't do tonight, I have something scheduled already.”

“Oh, okay then, how about Saturday?” Annabeth suggested.

“Is the library even open then?” he asked.

“You managed to get him into a library?!” Reyna exclaimed in amazement, “Did you have him at gunpoint or something?”

“Ha ha, very funny, RARA,” Jackson mocked. Annabeth noted how Reyna's expression immediately turned into a murderous glare, but it seemed to have little effect on Jackson, as he simply turned back to Annabeth, “And Saturday's fine. 5 pm?”

“Sounds good. I'll see you then,” Annabeth concluded, just as Mrs. Minerva entered the classroom. Art was uneventful, she let them do whatever, as she often did, so Annabeth brought out her homework, to get ahead with it a little, so she can make it to the Student Council tomorrow, and finish the essay in time to meet with Jackson and go to the party later. She can do this.

* * *

Saturday morning came sooner than Annabeth would've liked it. The rest of her week was very boring. She managed to finish the essay last night, though it was around midnight when it was done. She came home around from an utterly boring student council meet six, ate, finished her homework, and spent the rest of her evening writing the essay. It looked good, as far as she was concerned. She sent it over the Docs to Jackson, and texted him to read it before they met up the next day. She didn't particularly care that it was way too late to be texting. A reply came soon enough, just a thumbs up, and Annabeth crashed in her bed.

She woke up around ten the next morning, and decided to go jogging to the park. She would normally go earlier, but she allowed herself to sleep in that morning, so she went later than usual. She had plenty of time for everything. Jason Grace's party was at eight, and she promised Piper she would go to her place so they can get ready at six. She had to meet with Jackson at five, and she imagined they would be done with the project just in time to get to Piper's. After all, they merely had to revise the presentation and they would be done. Annabeth sincerely hoped Jackson wouldn't bomb it with the presentation, she really didn't want to have to redo the whole thing tomorrow.

When she got home, Annabeth had a quick shower, as she was all sweaty and gross from her two-hour run. She liked running, it gave her some time to think, clear her mind a little. She had some time to kill before she had to go meet with Jackson – something she wasn't really looking forward to – so she just played some music and sat in her living room, reading a random book from her overloaded bookshelf. She really ought to get a bigger one, before the old one falls over.

She lost track of time, immersed in her book, as her dyslexia decided to give her a bit of a break and let her read with little difficulty, and practically had to run to meet Jackson in time. She dropped her stuff off at Piper's the day before, so she didn't have to carry it around all day before she went to her house. Annabeth flew out of her house, almost forgetting to lock the door after her, and speed-walked towards the library.

Even though she was running late, she arrived there before her partner did, to no one's surprise. Annabeth greeted the librarian and found their old spot near the window. She grabbed some random book from a nearby shelf, and sat down, turning the pages without actually reading anything as she waited. It wasn't long before Jackson showed up.

“Jackson,” Annabeth greeted, putting away the book.

“You know, I have a name,” he chuckled.

“I know. And it's Jackson,” Annabeth retorted, a small smirk on her lips. Jackson's not the only one who can tease in their duo.

“Very well then, Chase,” he put his hands up in surrender, and sat down opposite of her.

“Did you go over the essay?”

“Nope. I'm putting my trust in you,” he replied sheepishly.

“Typical. I should've known you don't care about this project! Why didn't you read it? Was it too much to ask?” Annabeth questioned, annoyed, and a little angry. It was to be expected of him. Maybe she let Mr. Brunner's words raise her hopes a little too high.

“Look, I tried, okay? But, uh, I'm... I'm dyslexic, and I just couldn't get through it. I managed to read the first few paragraphs, and it looked good,” he explained, his eyes cast down at the table, where his hands were fidgeting with a black chain bracelet.

Something was telling Annabeth that he was sincere there, and her heart immediately softened. She too struggles with dyslexia, so she understood his situation. She felt bad for attacking him a minute ago, she imagined that he did not admit that easily. She felt kind of honored to be let in on something like that, even if she and Jackson had no connection what so ever.

“Oh, okay. I'm sorry for attacking you like that. I didn't know...” Annabeth apologized, upset with herself for letting her prejudices misjudge someone like that. True, she didn't know he was dyslexic, and had she know, she wouldn't have acted like that, but still. Annabeth always tried to give people a chance, and not judge them before she knew them, and that is exactly what she did here. She judged Jackson before she knew, well, anything about him. And she was angry with herself over it.

“It's okay,” Jackson replied, waving it off.

“It's not. I shouldn't have acted like that, and I'm sorry for it,” Annabeth sighed, calming herself down, “For what its worth, I understand.”

“You do?” he looked up at her, slightly confused.

“Yeah, I do. I, um, I'm dyslexic too,” Annabeth confessed. It felt only right to let him know that she understands the struggle, when he opened up to her about it.

“Oh, okay, um...” he looked a little lost, an expression she never really saw on him. He always had that tough, but mischievous look on his face, it felt odd seeing him confused like this.

“Yeah,” Annabeth nodded, letting him know she felt as awkward as he looks in that situation, “Okay, then, did you finish the presentation?”

“Oh, yeah, I did,” he replied, the teasing glint in his eyes returning as the light mood came back. He pulled out his tablet, tapped something onto it, and handed it to her. Annabeth tapped the presentation open, and immediately stopped it when she heard the music coming. She shot him an annoyed look as she pulled her earbuds out of her backpack. Judging by his mischievous smile, he probably knew there was no music allowed in the library. Now that was something she could've expected from him, judging by the amount of times she saw him coming out of detention - a certain knack for rule-breaking. Annabeth plugged her earbuds in and played the presentation.

She had to say, Mr. Brunner was right, she was impressed. The presentation looked amazing. All the notes she compiled were present, the music from _Gladiator_ was playing, which she thought to be an odd choice, but weirdly fitting; there were images and drawings he probably found on the internet. There was a beautiful portrait of Athena by her short description. She had long brown hair, stern stormy eyes, plump lips, a Mediterranean tan, and her war helmet on. She looked gorgeous with the yellow-grey shading in the background. She had to admit, the portrait of Poseidon reminded her a little of the actor Jason Momoa, but it impressed her almost as much as Athena's portrait. He had short, messy black hair with a few grey streaks on the side, bold, arched eyebrows, crazy-sea-green eyes and a trimmed black beard. The tip of hid trident was visible, and he, like Athena, almost seemed to glow against the colors of the sea in the background. When the presentation was over, she had to admit she was swept off her feet. He certainly did put a lot of work into it, and it was clearly visible.

Annabeth was faintly aware of Jackson staring right at her, his head resting against his hand, but she was too immersed into the presentation to tell him off for it. She handed him back the tablet, only managing to nod her approval.

“Well, do you like it?” he asked. Annabeth had to note his anxious, curious tone, and a small smile on his lips.

“Oh, I'm gonna regret saying this, but I loved it,” she sighed. She knew she was only boosting his already overflowing ego, but she couldn't really lie on this, “It looks amazing. I'm thoroughly impressed.”

“Really?” his tone had some amazement, like he didn't expect the praise, “Wow, never thought I'd hear Annabeth Chase say she's impressed by something little old Percy Jackson did.”

“Honestly, neither did I,” Annabeth laughed a little, “But it looks amazing. I think Mr. Brunner's gonna be impressed with this too. This is an easy A, Jackson. That is, if my essay is alright.”

“I'm sure it is. After all, have you ever gotten anything below an A?” Jackson laughed a little. Annabeth had to admit, he was kinda right. She was a straight-A, though there was an occasional B in English. But the essay was good, she should ease up on it a little.

“Well then, good job us!” Annabeth laughed.

“Indeed, Wise Girl,” Jackson smirked. Annabeth was a little taken aback by the nickname, in a good way, and was about to tease him for it, but he seemed to realize that and stopped her before she could say anything, “Don't even, I have no idea where that came from.”

“Probably from your seaweed brain,” Annabeth chuckled, “Hey, now there's a good one. Seaweed Brain.”

“Oh, I regret saying anything,” he groaned and stood up, shouldering his backpack. Annabeth did so too and they made way for the exit.

“Hey, are you going to Jason's party tonight?” now she had no idea where that came from, or why she even asked. 

“Now, Wise Girl, I never knew you were so interested in me,” he smirked.

“Oh shut up,” Annabeth pushed him away a little, “I just know you hang out with his sister a lot, and I figured she'd be there, so she'd probably drag you along.”

“Pfft, you obviously know nothing about Thalia,” he laughed, “She'd sooner be caught in pink than at some lame party Jason is throwing. So you can take that as a no, I won't be going.”

“Oh, okay,” Annabeth replied, more in relation to Thalia avoiding parties, but he seemed to misread it. Or maybe he just wanted to tease her more.

“Now, don't be too disappointed, you can always just ask me out. Promise, I don't bite,” his mischievous smirk was there again as he set his skateboard down.

“Only in your dreams,” Annabeth retorted. Like she said, two can play that game.

“Oh, it's only a matter of time, Annie. Sooner or later you will succumb to my attractiveness,” he chuckled a little in amusement.

“Just you hope, Jackson,” she snarled a little. He laughed and rolled away.

“See you around Annabeth,” he called out.

“Don't make it a habit,” she shouted after him and heard his laugh echo as she made way for Piper's.

The walk was relatively short, and Annabeth soon found herself knocking on her best friend's door sooner than expected. Piper welcomed her in a second later. She was wearing a simple white top and sweatpants, her hair up in a towel. Annabeth excused herself to go have a shower of her own. She was in and out quickly, as she had washed her hair after her run. When she came out, Piper was blowdrying her hair. Annabeth was wearing one of Piper's old shirts and shorts while they got ready. She was perfectly capable of doing her own make-up and hair, but Piper insisted she do it. In the end, Annabeth had some gray and white eyeshadow on, red lipstick, and a beautiful long braid to go with the outfit she picked out earlier that week. Piper ironed her hair, even though there was really no need to, since her hair was naturally straight, she had some light make up on, lip gloss, and her chosen outfit.

The two of them hopped into Piper's car and made way to pick up Hazel. It was already eight, but they didn't have to show up right on time. It was a party after all. Hazel looked very nice when she joined them. She had a little golden eyeshadow on and lipgloss, contrasting nicely with her dress. The three of them drove to the address Jason texted them, and rung the bell.

“Hey there!” the tall, blonde jock opened the door, a red cup in his hand (kinda cliche, if you asked Annabeth) and a welcoming smile on his face. Piper immediately put on a smile of her own, while Annabeth just waved, “Come in, come in!”

The three obliged, following Jason into the big house. Annabeth liked the look, even if it was a little clouded over with the party lights, drinks, and empty cups. There were quite a few people there. Jason lead them into the living room, where music was blaring from big speakers.

“The kitchen is through there.” He pointed to an archway, “My friend Hayden is mixing drinks there, so just ask him whatever you want. Although, by the looks of it, you can find drinks and snacks pretty much everywhere.”

It was true, there were bottles of different liquors scattered around, with bowls and bags of chips and party mix everywhere. Jason had to excuse himself to go answer the door again, so the three girls just went to the kitchen, where Hayden mixed them their drinks, as Jason promised. Annabeth had a vodka soda, Piper had lemon beer, and Hazel got herself a nice little martini. They stood alone in a corner for a while, just talking among themselves, dancing a little. They saw more of their friends come and go. Grover and Juniper were on the balcony, Will and Leo were dancing among the crowd.  
Hazel's flushed expression didn't escape Annabeth even in the darkness of the party. She followed her friend's gaze and saw Frank Zhang approaching them, with Jason by his side.

“This is Frank,” Jason introduced him, even though all three knew the boy.

“Hi,” Frank greeted with a shy smile and a wave.

“Hey,” Hazel greeted, equally shy.

“So, what's up? You enjoying the party?” Jason asked, leaning against the wall.

“It's amazing!” Piper exclaimed, even though just five minutes earlier she was complaining about how bored she was, “You did a great job, setting all this up.”

“Thanks. Thalia was supposed to help, but she bailed as soon as I brought out the lights,” Jason chuckled, taking a gulp out of his drink. 

Annabeth took notice of Frank and Hazel in light conversation, and Piper and Jason in a convo of their own, so she decided to get out of their hair. She had no desire to be the third wheel what so ever, so she just sat on the couch, observing the people around, with her second drink in hand.

“Hey Annabeth,” a voice greeted from behind the sofa. Annabeth craned her neck to see none other than Luke Castellan there, grinning at her.

“Luke,” she rolled her eyes and sighed in exasperation. She was really growing tired of the guy.

“Oh come now, Annie,” Luke flung himself onto the sofa, sitting a little too close to Annabeth for her comfort, “That's no way to greet anyone.”

“It is a way to greet a self-centered, arrogant asshole such as yourself,” Annabeth snarled.

“That's not very nice,” Luke scooted closer to her, and Annabeth could smell the alcohol in his breath. He was clearly drunk, “What do you say we go dance some?”

“No, thank you,” Annabeth scooted away.

“Oh come on, you can't seriously resist _me_ ,” Luke drew closer to her, putting a hand on Annabeth's thigh. She flinched away.

“No means no, Luke,” Annabeth shot up, “Goodbye.”

“Now hang on a minute,” he grabbed her arm, rather harshly. Annabeth was sick of him. She spun around, yanking her arm free from his grip, and spilled the rest of her drink right in his face. She took the time he was trying to clear it from his eyes, which probably stung a little now, and merged with the crowd. She waved her way through, finally reaching the front door and leaving the blasted party. She quickly grabbed her phone out of her purse, typing a quick text to Piper, who she saw was still talking with Jason rather contently before she left.

**Annabeth**  
_Hey, I was tired so I went home. Good luck with Jason. Call me tomorrow, I wanna hear everything. <3 _

She put her phone away, and wrapped her arms around her chest. It was past ten and rather chilly. And not to think that she had a bit of a long walk home. Annabeth thought about getting a cab or something, but decided it wasn't really worth it, she didn't bring enough money for the whole ride home. She sighed and started trudging down the street.

* * *

Half an hour after she left the party, Annabeth was nearing her neighborhood. She had maybe twenty minutes left before she got home. Or maybe fifteen if she took that little shortcut she usually took. Annabeth decided it was best to take it, as it was late and cold, and she wanted to get home already. 

For some reason, during her walk, Annabeth thought about the events of the day. Twice today she was told that she couldn't resist someone, and in completely different ways. When Jackson said it, it sounded more teasing, maybe even nicer in some way. When Luke said it, it sounded disgusting and slimy. It had a bad undertone, like it was said with ill intent, whereas when Jackson said it, he only meant to joke around with her. When he grabbed her arm earlier that week, it was gentle and sparks flew through Annabeth's body, in a good, pleasant way. He didn't mean to hurt her, or hold her in a bad way. He only meant to stop her from leaving so they could go together. When Luke did it, her arm hurt, and a spark flew through her body, but not in the way they did with Jackson. They were warning her to get away from him, that nothing good would come from that asshole. And she didn't know why, but she found it weird that she good such positive vibes from a punk, when the same gestures put her on alert and frankly frightened her when said by a jock from school. Shouldn't it be the other way around? Shouldn't Jackson put her on edge? Shouldn't her mind warn her of him? Shouldn't she feel safe with someone like Luke?

No, she shouldn't. She knew Luke was a slimy, self-centered, arrogant, dare she even say evil bastard. She knew he tormented people just because it was fun for him to watch. There was no good in him. Jackson never tormented anyone but the kinds of Luke. Annabeth knew from Grover that he defended her defenseless friend. That's not someone she should fear, no matter how dark their clothes. She should fear the devil in disguise of a football player than Luke was. 

“Hey there blondie,” a gruff voice called out from the darkness of the ally she was walking through. Annabeth only pulled her arms closer to her chest, sped up her steps, and tried not to react to the voice.

“Come now, that's not very nice,” a strong arm grabbed her elbow and pulled her back, slamming her back against the brick wall, “Maybe I should teach a little whore like yourself a little lesson in manners. When a gentleman such as myself calls you, you answer.”

Annabeth struggled in the old man's grip. He was balding and wore an unbuttoned flannel. There was grease on his face, and a beer bottle in his hand. Two more guys appeared by him, and a couple more seemed to remain in the shadows of the buildings.

“Get off me!” Annabeth shouted, kicking, but the man didn't seem to budge.

“Come now you little bitch, you're practically asking for it, walking in this ally,” he grinned, showing his yellowing teeth.

“I said get off me!” Annabeth spat in his face. A second later, she felt flaring pain in her cheek. He slapped her. Hard. Annabeth yelped in pain, feeling her cheek redden and tears well up and spill over her eyelashes.

“You little bitch! You really do need to be taught a lesson!” the guy snarled.

“No!” Annabeth screamed, but felt another slap on her cheek.

“Hey!” someone else shouted. Annabeth recognized that voice. She thanked whatever god there may be for sending her help. If he was there to help her, “I believe the lady told you to back off.”

“Get lost kid, this is none of your business,” the man hissed.

“It is my business, whenever dicks like you touch women. Especially if the lady in question is my friend,” he growled. Annabeth could barely see his face, but she recognized him, and even in her state of pure fear, she had taken notice of his wolf stare at the greasy man.

“I think he told you to get lost,” one of the guys behind Annabeth's captor spoke up, swinging his fist at Annabeth's possible savior. He intercepted the punch and kicked the guy, throwing a punch to the other one, leaving them both on the ground.

“You punk!” Annabeth's captor shouted and swung his fist, connecting it with her savior's jaw. He recovered quickly and punched him in the stomach. The greasy man doubled over, and the other one kneed him in the face. 

He quickly took Annabeth's hand and pulled her forward. With how many times has that happened to her that evening, one would think she would flinch away at the contact, but she didn't. She merely marveled at the fact that their hands seemed to fit together perfectly. The two broke out into a sprint out of the alleyway. Annabeth heard shuffling behind them, footsteps chasing them, but she didn't dare look back. Her tears stopped coming as she let the man pull her along, running down the deserted streets of New York. She was exhausted from her day, scared and in shock, but adrenaline pumping through her veins allowed her to remain unaffected by her fear and keep running by the black-clad punk. At some point, they had passed her house, but Annabeth barely registered it. She merely let herself almost enjoy the chase, the thrill of running through the night with the boy beside her. She noted the crazy smile on his lips, like he was thoroughly enjoying the danger, and she found herself almost mimicking him.

Jackson and she had just rounded the corner when he pulled them into a small ally, pushing Annabeth's back against the wall, his palm over her lips as he peered out to the street. Annabeth's breath caught in her lungs during those few seconds. She heard the goons running by the ally, and continuing down the streets. She only dared exhale when she finally saw them pass the two and keep running. Jackson removed his palm from her face, a triumphant smile on his lips at his success of saving from the danger, and a crazy glint in his green eyes. He was obviously enjoying the thrill, and Annabeth had to admit, even though she wouldn't exactly want to repeat it, or at least how she got into the situation, she enjoyed it too.

“Are you okay?” he asked, panting from having run so long.

“Yeah,” Annabeth replied, reaching up to touch her cheek where the man hit her. The pain was forgotten during the run, but now that the adrenaline was slowly dying down, it came back, though duller than before. Her cheek was warm, there was probably a mark where he struck her, but other than that, she was fine.

“Let me see,” he gently guided her back onto the street, under one of the lights, and examined her cheek with his eyes intensely, “He hit you pretty hard, you may have a slight bruise, but I don't think it's anything too serious.”

“Yes, doctor Jackson,” Annabeth chuckled. He did too for a second, but then his expression turned serious again.

“But seriously, are you okay?” he asked, his eyes glowing with concern, eyebrows scrunched together a little.

“I'm alright. Really. I'd only hate to imagine what might have happened had you not shown up,” Annabeth replied, completely honest. Then she noticed the reddening on his jaw and his bleeding knuckles, “Are you okay? You took one hell of a hit there.”

“I never knew you cared,” Jackson smirked, but Annabeth's serious expression made him answer anyway, “I'm fine, don't worry about it. I've definitely had worse, it wasn't exactly my first fight.”  
Annabeth had only then really realized that he got into a fight for her, and was likely to be left with a nasty bruise for it. She never really imagined Jackson doing that, least of all for her, but he did. “Thank you. I know you didn't have to do that, but you still did, and I really appreciate it-”

“Hey, it was nothing,” he interrupted her, “I've had my fair share of experiences with scum like that guy, I'd be more than happy to repeat what I just did any time. You never have to thank me for something like that, got it?” he pointed a finger at her, daring her to object. Annabeth examined his face, seeing it completely serious for the first time. She had to say, she was unsure of how she felt about his expression at that moment. All she could say is that she preferred his usual teasing smirk over it. Annabeth merely nodded, understanding that he was completely honest at that moment.

Jackson's expression softened a little, and a small smirk appeared on his lips, “Good. And quite frankly, I'm a little offended that you thought I would just leave you to those assholes.”

“Well, I've had my doubts,” Annabeth replied jokingly. The small smile on her face and her tone were telling him, or at least attempting to tell him the real message: _I didn't doubt you_. A second later his laugh echoed around them.

“Of course you did,” he laughed, and it let Annabeth know that he got the message, even if she didn't explicitly say it. She soon found herself joining in on his laugh. She felt the dried tear stains stretch out on her cheeks. The pain was gone now. She really was alright, and it was all thanks to the boy next to her.

“Come on, I'll walk you home,” he spoke, his hand stretched out for her to lead the way.

“Oh, you don't have to, you've already done enough for me-” Annabeth tried to object, knowing that she was just a few blocks away from her house, and that he would be going in the opposite way from his own home.

“Wise Girl, I insist. Unless you'd rather risk running into some more scums like that,” he arched an eyebrow. Annabeth shot him a grateful look after a second and started the walk back to her house. He fell in step with her after a second, wrapping his bleeding hand into a bandana and shoving both his hands in his pockets. The two walked in silence for a few minutes before they found themselves on Annabeth's porch.

“Do you want to come in? I could clean up your hand,” Annabeth offered.

“No need, it's fine,” he waved it off with his bandana-wrapped hand, “It's nothing really, I'll just wash it off with water when I get home. I wouldn't want to be a bother anyway, it's pretty late, your parents must be asleep.”

“You wouldn't be a bother, my dad's out of town, I'm all alone,” Annabeth replied, opening the door, “Now get in and let me have a look at that hand. Come on, it's the least I can do after what you've just done.”

The two had a little staring contest, a competition of wills, before Jackson finally succumbed and gestured for her to lead the way. Annabeth entered the house and he followed, closing the doors after them. She lead him into the living room, turning on the light and setting her purse down.

“Make yourself at home. I'll just go grab the first aid kit,” Annabeth said and made her way for the bathroom, looking for the kit. She grabbed some rubbing alcohol and clean bandages and made way back to where she left Jackson. She found him looking at some photos on the shelf beside the TV. Annabeth set the kit down at the small dining table and sat down, gesturing for him to sit down opposite of her. Jackson obliged and Annabeth took his hand, unwrapping the bandana, examining the damage. It didn't look too bad. His knuckles were swollen and bleeding a little, but he should be fine. She quickly cleaned the wound and wrapped it in clean bandages. The fact that he didn't even flinch when she poured the school onto the wound told her he really tended to do that a lot. Jackson pulled his arm back, examining Annabeth's wok. He shot her a small grateful smile and got up, with Annabeth following in suit. They walked back towards the front door.

“Thank you. You didn't have to do this,” he said.

“Don't mention it, it's the least I could do,” Annabeth waved it off. Jackson grinned at her, opening the doors and stepping out.

“I'll see you in school, Chase,” he called out.

“You bet,” Annabeth smiled after him. He made way back down the street, turning around as smiling at Annabeth, who was watching him go with her arms crossed, leaning against the doorframe. When he finally disappeared from her sight, Annabeth shut the door and changed into her pajamas. She didn't bother showering or cleaning up her smudged make-up, she was exhausted and wanted to sleep.

* * *

Monday morning, Annabeth didn't see Jackson in Latin, or in English. She finally saw him at lunch, sitting by himself. She was with her friends, but paid little attention to their conversation. She knew that Piper was just telling them about how Jason invited her out this next weekend, a story she had heard on Sunday. She told them nothing of her Saturday evening, and she managed to cover up the barely present bruise on her cheek with some make-up, so she didn't draw any unnecessary attention. As they chatted, Annabeth's focus was on the punk boy who had saved her that weekend, sitting alone at his table.

All conversation in Annabeth's little group ceased as she picked up her tray and walked over to him. She paid her friends no attention, keeping all of it on her destination. She halted before his table. Jackson looked up at her.

“Chase,” he greeted cheekily.

“Jackson,” she replied, “Why is the gentleman sitting alone?”

“Oh you know, Thalia is sick, Nico is ditching, and Reyna's somewhere off doing god knows what.”

“Do you want to come over and sit with us?” Annabeth offered.

“Thank you for the offer, but I'm quite alright here,” he smiled and turned his attention back to his tablet, probably expecting that Annabeth would've left at his rejection of her offer.

“Alright then,” Annabeth shrugged and set her tray on the table, sitting opposite of him, digging into her fries. She saw him look up at her with an arched eyebrow.

“What?” she asked.

“Nothing, nothing,” he replied, a small smirk on his lips as he cast his eyes back onto his tablet. They sat in silence for a few minutes, with Annabeth pondering her next move. She had no plan when she went over there. She thought he would take her offer and come sit with her and her friends, but she decided to sit with him in the end, when he rejected it. In the end, she settled for something she had been meaning to say to him again, even though he told her it was unnecessary.

“Percy,” she called out. She saw his head snap up at the use of his first name. It was the first time she's ever called him that. Annabeth met his eyes, pouring all her gratitude into her expression, “Thank you.”

Percy smiled, a small, but bright smile, “Don't mention it, Annabeth.”

The blonde nodded, turning back to her lunch, a small smile on her lips. More and more, Percy Jackson was becoming a mystery to her, one that she was itching to resolve. She sat with him all throughout lunch, with only one thought running through her head: _Maybe Mr. Brunner was right. There is more to Percy Jackson than meets the eye._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, there was that long ass chapter. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Any feedback is always welcome, as always. Follow my Tumblr account for updates on the stories (Astralda0602; link in my bio). Until next Sunday! Peace out!


	4. Math & Milkshakes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy asks Annabeth for help with school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! So, I'm updating this on Saturday, since I missed the last two weeks' updates. I'm so sorry, I was away from home and did not have the means to update. I'll try to post another chapter tomorrow, but I can't make any promises. If I don't manage to do it tomorrow, I'll post sometime next week, and then again on Sunday, as usual.
> 
> Also, I've decided to make this a solely Percabeth story, so I'm removing some of the tags, as characters other than Percy and Annabeth won't really be appearing much anymore. I just want to get to their story, as this shouldn't have more than maybe six or seven chapters more, maybe fifteen tops. So, yeah, so the tags aren't too misleading, I'll be editing them.
> 
> That's that, enjoy the chapter!!

The following two or so weeks of Annabeth’s life had been pretty uneventful. Or rather, there was a lot that had happened, but it was boring and temporary. She thought about finding herself a part-time job, which she did. She always enjoyed books (big surprise), and there was a small bookshop near where she lived, and they needed another worker, so she signed up and got the job immediately. There wasn't really all that much she had to do, and the work that she did there, Annabeth did enjoy. The owner of the shop was also a book publisher, so she sometimes acted as his assistant, just taking calls and getting him coffee. She would mostly just spend her time there stacking the bookshelves, rearranging them to be more appealing, or simply to fix the mix-ups the customers made when browsing. She sometimes worked as the cashier at the shop, but her coworker, a kind greying woman in her 50s, usually covered that. There really wasn't much for Annabeth to do there, so the free time she had during her shift she usually just spent working on homework or reading.

Annabeth's dad returned a week ago, just as he had promised, and Annabeth was surprised to see that he had some news. Apparently, during his trip, he had met a woman named Helen, who was also from New York. She worked in the same company as he did, and they met on the plane on the way home. From what her dad told Annabeth, Helen had two twin sons, and she and Annabeth's dad were going on a date after they returned. Annabeth was a little surprised that her dad was actually leaving the house, let alone going on a date with a woman, but he seemed to have had a good time when he came back, so Annabeth kept her mouth shut. She was happy for her dad, he seemed to really like this woman, even if they had only gone on one date.

And Annabeth's dad wasn't the only person who started dating in the last two weeks, oh no. Apparently, Piper and Jason had gone on four dates after the party at his house. They seemed to really hit it off at the party after Annabeth had left, and Jason asked Piper out. Naturally, Piper said yes, and they went for lunch twice in the following week, and on two more dates in the week after. According to Piper, it was still not official that they were in a relationship, but Annabeth knew, as Piper's best friend, that Jason had kissed her on their last date, so it was safe to say that they were an unannounced couple. Piper seemed really radiant these past two weeks, and she did not shut up about her new boyfriend. Jason this, Jason that, Annabeth was quite frankly growing tired of it, but she was glad that Piper's greatest dream was coming true.

Other than that, her two weeks were pretty boring. She had an abundance of homework, but somehow managed to remain ahead of it. Her grades were looking amazing so far, she had no projects any time soon, and she was doing good in her extra-curriculums. 

As for Percy Jackson, he and Annabeth had gone back into their silent routine. Just a greeting in the morning and nothing more. It was weird, considering what happened that one Saturday. A lot of her time, Annabeth spent looking back on that night. Even though the events that started the whole thing were terrifying, she couldn't help but smile a little at the thought of Percy Jackson jumping in and getting into a fight to help her. All that he had done for her that evening seemed to have been forgotten when he strode into class on Tuesday, greeted her with a smirk, and spent the lesson sitting beside her in silence. Annabeth wanted to talk to him, but didn't know what to say. The only evidence of the events was a green bruise on his jaw, and the traumatic thought of what might have happened to Annabeth had he not shown up.

Truth is, Percy Jackson was a mystery to Annabeth. She always thought of him as a good for nothing punk, and he showed her otherwise that evening. Even after the amazing work they did on that one Latin project, Annabeth realized that there was more to Percy Jackson than she thought. Granted, at the time she thought he may only slightly care about school, but after that Saturday, she realized that she had completely misjudged him. Sure, he was a tease and probably a bad influence, always ditching school and partying or whatnot, but there was something else about him. Something she really knew was there, but couldn't put a finger on. The simplest way to put it would probably be that he might just be a good, kind person.

And in all honesty, Annabeth thought she always knew Jackson, the punk who spent his school days sleeping in class or causing trouble; but now she wanted to get to know Percy, the punk who got in a fight to defend her from some slimes in an ally. The only problem is, she had absolutely no idea how to approach him, or even what she would say. _Hey, I've avoided you since the day I met you, but now I wanna hang out with you?_ That's just stupid. All in all, she had no idea what to do. She was itching to figure out this mystery, but had no idea how to do that.

Turns out, she didn't have to approach him. He approached her. Though differently than Annabeth would have imagined.

She walked into her Latin class later than usual. Not late, just not as early as normal. It was chilly that morning, so she had a sweater on, which she later decided was a mistake, as it was boiling in school. She expected the classroom to be full by the time she came in, but it was quite the opposite.

The whole room was empty. Save the seat beside her, where a leather-wearing boy sat, earbuds in his ears, and legs propped up on the desk. He had his tablet in hand, and was swiping a pen over the screen. Annabeth sat down in the bench before him, slowly and quietly, unsure what was happening, or even if he saw her enter.

“Hey,” Percy greeted, not looking up from his tablet.

“Hi,” Annabeth replied in the same cold-ish, uninterested tone, “Where's everyone?”

“Mr. Brunner's sick, so everyone's anywhere but in this classroom,” he said.

“Okay, they, why are you here?” Annabeth asked. That got him to look up at her, eyebrow arched in question. She shrugged, “I just thought that since we don't have class you would be anywhere but here?”

“Sounds like me, yes, but,” he set down his tablet and took his feet off the desk, looking at Annabeth with a slight smirk and a pointed finger, “Up until you walked in, no one else was here, which meant this place was empty, which made it perfect, since it's an inhuman time to be awake.”

“Well, sorry to ruin your lonely space,” Annabeth rolled her eyes. She thought about getting up and leaving, since he clearly wanted to be alone, as she could probably find something to do on her own until her next period, but decided to stay where she was just to spite him.

“I don't mind,” he shrugged with a teasing smirk on his lips and leaned back in his chair, picking his tablet back up. 

Annabeth let out a barely audible sigh and got comfortable in her chair. She pulled out a book and continued reading where she stopped off the night before. Her dyslexia was acting up a little, but she managed. She and Percy sat in silence for a while, but it wasn't weird or awkward, far from it actually. Before she usually felt on edge being near him. Now, she found his presence alright. He used to unnerve her, but now, he was just kind of, there... Barely noticeable, to be completely honest.

Percy was the first one to break the silence, “Hey, could I, um, maybe, ask you a favor?”

Annabeth looked up at him from her book. He was fidgeting in his chair a little, his elbows resting on the desk. She also noted that he had set his tablet away, and was fiercely avoiding looking her in the eyes. She found it intriguing, he never seemed to really shy away from anything, so it was odd seeing him looking anywhere by at her.

“Sure, what's up?” she leaned by her elbow on his desk.

“Well, I have this maths test next week, and, uh, surprise-surprise, I know and understand nothing,” he chuckled a little, probably trying to lighten the mood, though it came out sounding rather dry, “And I really need to pass this year, I can't afford to fail, so I was hoping that, maybe, if you're not too busy or anything, maybe you could help me?”

That last part of his request came out pretty fast, but that's not what threw her off. She had known now that he gave the slightest damn about school, but she never imagined he would care enough to actually ask for help in passing a subject. Even more so, that, of all people, he would ask her to help him! She assumed that there was a kind of an acquaintanceship – maybe even slowly building friendship – between them, but she was still surprised that he would ask her for help. 

Annabeth had just kind of been staring at him, her mouth gaping a little, but she was barely registering anything she was seeing. So much that she failed to notice that he was now looking straight at her with those big, beautiful green eyes of his, which were pleading for help. That, and that she was staring with her jaw on the floor.

“Nevermind, it was a stupid idea,” he waved it off and looked away to the side, trying to play cool when she had just been staring at him for a few seconds too long, “I'll manage, forget I said anything.”

“No no,” Annabeth came to and spoke hurriedly, “I'll help you, of course. Don't worry about it.”

“Really?” he looked back at her, his eyes now hopeful, a small smile playing on his lips.

“Yeah, I don't see any reason not to,” Annabeth nodded, smiling reassuringly.

“Holy fuck, this is amazing! Thank you so much!” he practically jumped up. Annabeth couldn't keep herself from smiling when she saw his mouth shift from that stupid smirk of his to a giant, real grin. Percy clasped his hands together, “Thank you, thank you, thank you! I owe you!”

“Alright, calm down, Seaweed Brain,” Annabeth shook her head, still smiling slightly, “And for the record, I will collect.”

“I expect nothing less from you, Wise Girl,” he said, “So, when can we do this?”

“I'm free today,” Annabeth shrugged, “And I won't be free again until Friday.”

“Okay then, can we do today right away?” he asked.

“Yeah, sure,” Annabeth nodded, “At the library again? I can't go right after school, I promised Piper we'd go out after school, and I already canceled twice. Maybe around 5?”

“Sounds awesome,” Percy agreed.

“Then it's settled, the library at five,” Annabeth concluded, “Bring a notebook and your textbook, I think ours are slightly different.”

“Will do,” he saluted. Annabeth rolled her eyes at his silly behavior. She was just about to go back to her book when the bell signaled the end of their free period. She heard Percy groan and slam his head against the desk.

“You know, if you keep doing that, you might get enough brain damage to drop out of school,” Annabeth teased, deadpan.

“I know that was supposed to be sarcastic and shit,” he said, his head still hitting the desk lightly, but finger up to prove his point, “But that actually doesn't sound like a bad idea.”

“It very much is a bad idea,” Annabeth said as she shouldered her backpack, serious this time, “Don't do that. Come on, we'll be late.”

“Oh shit, is it second period?” he shot up suddenly, causing Annabeth to jump back in surprise.

“Yeah?”

“Oh fuck, this is going to be fun!” he grinned, and Annabeth immediately knew whatever was about to happen was definitely not good, “I'll see you later, I got some stuff to do!”

He sprinted right past her, that manic grin still on his face. Annabeth just kind of stared after him, not sure what all that was about, but also not too eager to find out what it was. She finally made her way towards English, where Reyna sat down next to her, buried her face in her hands, sighed, and said nothing but: _Percy has definitely spent too much time hanging out with your friend Leo._

Oh no...

* * *

Oh no indeed. It was later at lunch that Annabeth found out what was happening. It started with Leo, Connor and Travis sitting down at their usual table, grinning like idiots. The whole group knew immediately that something bad was about to happen.

“What did you do this time?” Hazel sighed, knowing better than to try to stop whatever was going on. There was no point in trying.

“All I'm going to say is that, Annabeth, your boyfriend Jackson is one mighty fine guy, almost as funny and creative as me,” Leo grinned and elbowed Annabeth lightly.

“Uh, Jackson is _not_ my boyfriend. I don't even like the guy,” Annabeth kind of lied. She was beginning to almost like Percy Jackson.

“Yeah? Then why did you sit with him two weeks ago?” Piper challenged.

“We were, uh, we were discussing a project,” she lied now fully. The project was over when they sat together that one day. Had been finished a week earlier. She only wanted to thank him again for what he had done for her, but she had to remind herself that her friends did not know that story. A part of her worried that Percy might have told Leo about it, but given his normal behavior the past two weeks, he probably didn't think anything about it after the event was over.

“Yeah, sure,” Connor drew the words out, “Be he your boyfriend or not, let's not stray from the topic. You are about to see the first Stoll-Stoll-Valdez-Jackson-Grace-di Angelo prank ever!”

“And I estimate in... three... two... one...” Travis counted down after a collective groan from the group. 

Just as he said _one_ , everyone in the whole cafeteria saw what was going on. It was hard to miss.

Mr. D. ran in, covered head to toe in foam and glitter of all colors, screaming, “STOLLS, VALDEZ, JACKSON, GRACE, DI ANGELO, INTO THE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE RIGHT NOW!”

The six culprits stood up and made their way to the principal's office, laughing like maniacs. In fact, the whole cafeteria was roaring with laughter. Even Annabeth allowed herself to chuckle. No one really liked Mr. D. so it was a joy to see him like that.

“If this continues, those guys will be lucky to even pass the year without getting expelled,” Hazel sighed, “I should probably talk to Nico about his behavior before dad finds out anything.”

“Relax Hazel, my dad knows the principal, and he knows for a fact that he doesn't like Mr. D., so they should probably get off easy,” Piper waved it off, and turned to Annabeth, “Anyway, we still on for today?”

“Yup,” Annabeth nodded, “We going for a pizza or to your place?”

“Better, we're ordering a pizza at my place,” Piper grinned smugly.

“You are right, that is better,” Annabeth laughed just as the bell rang. The group said their good-byes and made way for their next class.

* * *

Annabeth was walking hurriedly towards the library, not wanting to be too late. She and Piper had got talking, and just lost track of time. When she remembered she had other arrangements, it was already five to five, and she had a twenty-minute walk to the library. She refused to let Piper drive her, not really wanting to answer any questions about why she was meeting with Jackson, and Piper would definitely have a small million of those, so she just walked. Okay, almost ran. She hated being late, even though the person she was meeting probably was going to be late too. She heard he and the others got a whole two-week detention for their prank, which was less than anyone thought they would get. The school was buzzing with their achievement all day, which was otherwise uneventful. 

On that thought, Annabeth had to marvel at how extremely boring her life was. She had an amazing group of friends, who were all fun people, and they did do fun stuff, but it was never too extreme. She had to admit, so far, she had imagined her senior year to be different a little. She rarely had time to hang out, and when she did, her friends and she usually just sat around at one of their homes or at the park, and a lot of that time was also spent on school. It seemed as if her entire life was just revolving around school. Just school and nothing else. She had no friends that she knew outside of Goode, no particular hobbies that didn't have something to do with school, and so on. As much as summer-Annabeth probably wouldn't even want to hear this, but this September-Annabeth wanted to have some fun. Before school began, she promised herself that her main focus would be school. Now, she just kind of wanted to forget about it for a second and go do something else.

And ironic, she was just about to meet a person who seemed to be able to always have fun, to do schoolwork. Granted, she wasn't actually doing her schoolwork, but she was helping him with his. Maybe she should just buck up and ask Percy later to go and hang out with her a little? She would bet all the books in her house that he knew how to have fun.

But then again, something was telling her he wouldn't really want to go and hang out with her. The two of them were polar opposites, completely different. He was a rebellious punk, a guy who probably didn't put school first and didn't really worry much about tomorrow, rather just focus on today. Annabeth, on the other hand, she always worried about tomorrow, sometimes so much that she forgot what she was doing today. Her idea of fun involved quiet surroundings, maybe some food and quiet music, while his probably consisted of ear-piercing, loud guitars and screaming, booze and cigars. Who knows, maybe Annabeth could somehow adjust or even enjoy his idea of fun (without the booze and cigars, she meant the music here). It certainly did sound fun at the moment. And while going clubbing or whatever he did, did sound fun, she didn't really think she would fit into such a surrounding or with such people. She was too, in the words people sometimes attributed to her, “stuck up” or “good and pure” for that kind of thing.

Now convinced that she and Percy probably wouldn't be too compatible to go and have fun together, Annabeth finally reached the doors of the library. And fifteen minutes late. She probably lost a bit of her speed in her thoughts, which she silently cursed herself for. She _hated_ being late.

“Hello,” she greeted the woman at the checkout, “I'm here to meet with a friend. Tall guy, dark clothes, black hair. Is he here already by any chance?”

She honestly doubted it, but surprise-surprise, the elderly woman smiled and gestured to the reading area, “He's here, dear, right by the window. Honestly, the poor boy has been fidgeting in his seat since he got here, about twenty minutes ago, probably thought you wouldn't show up.”

“Oh jeez, I've just lost track of time and had to run here,” Annabeth slapped her forehead in embarrassment. The woman's comment sounded a lot like a scolding to her, “Anyway, thank you, I should probably go now.”

The woman nodded and Annabeth wove her way through the surprisingly occupied tabled to where Percy sat. She again had to note how ridiculous he looked in that setting. Such a tall, dark, kinda broody guy who wore black leather and chains on his belt, in a place where people in turtleneck sweaters and thick-rimmed glasses usually spent their time. To add to Annabeth's surprise, he actually seemed to be doing something. There were two notebooks before him and two open books, and he seemed to actually be writing something down. She had expected him to be listening to music with his legs on the table, or maybe with that tablet of his, doing whatever he usually was on it.

Annabeth approached him, slugging off her backpack, “Hey.”

He looked up at her, probably a little startled that someone was speaking to him in such a dead quiet zone. A small smile spread on his lips, “Hey, you're here! I was honestly beginning to think you wouldn't show up.”

“I know, I'm sorry. I was at Piper's and we lost track of time,” Annabeth sat down and took a deep breath, trying to get rid of her panting all together. “And besides, now we're even, since you were late for the project,” Annabeth joked, trying to lighten the mood a little.

“True that,” he nodded and flashed her another small smile, “Thank again, for agreeing to help me out here. It means a lot.”

“It's no problem,” Annabeth smiled back, and pulled out her notes and book, “Anyway, should we get started? What are you doing there?”

“Well, the Fury gave us a mountain of homework to prepare for the test,” he handed her four stapled sheets of paper, filled with math problems to solve, on both sides, “So I tried to do some of it while I waited. Didn't get much done, truth be told. I really get none of this.”

Annabeth nodded along to what he was saying, quickly skimming the problems on the sheets, and then she had a look at his notes and what he was doing. At first glance, Annabeth thought he was surprisingly neat for a boy, and even more so for one she knew slept through his math lessons, but upon better look...

“These aren't your notes, are they?” she smirked.

Percy smiled sheepishly and shrugged, “They're Reyna's. I couldn't catch anything in class. Mostly because I either wasn't there or was snoring near the back.”

“Fair enough,” Annabeth chuckled, and handed him back the notebook she recognized was his, “Well, you've started that problem fine, but you made a mess in the fourth line...”

Annabeth spent the next couple of minutes explaining his mistake, and solved the problem as an example for Percy. Even though her eyes were on the paper before her, she could feel his gaze shifting from her to the problem. She didn't have to look at him to know that he was listening intently. She would ask a question here and there, to test him. It wasn't completely true that he had no idea what he was doing, he knew some of the first steps, which was a huge relief for Annabeth, because if he didn't, then she would have a much harder time explaining everything.

After she had explained to him how to solve the problem, she found him one similar to that, which he would do on his own. It took a while, and a lot of his scratching his neck, but he did manage to do it. Annabeth only stepped in to give a hand when she really saw him struggling. It was a little tougher than usual, what with her dyslexia acting up (it always chooses the most inconvenient times), and by the looks of his focused gaze on the paper and eye-rubbing, he wasn't exactly having the best time with it either. Annabeth let him have some time to rest in between problems.

All in all, she had to admit, Percy was a good student. He listened to what she said, and did his best to apply it to the problem at hand. They still had a little bit of that homework to do, but they made some nice progress. The more they worked, the better Percy did when solving the problem alone. Annabeth stepped in every now and then, but it was clear to her that he was doing better. She had to pride herself a little, she evidently was a good teacher. 

“I'm sorry to interrupt, dears, but we're closing up. I'm going to have to ask you to leave,” the librarian came and said to the two, who had just finished a particularly long problem.

Annabeth scrunched her eyebrows. They can't already be closing up, can't they? It's only...

“Holy shit, it's nine!” Percy finished her thought, albeit out loud, much to the dismay of the librarian. He just shot her a sheepish smile, “Sorry.”

“Best watch your language. A handsome lad like you should not have such a bad mouth,” the elderly woman snickered, causing Percy to arch an eyebrow at her, as if asking “ _are you for real?_ , and Annabeth just chuckled, packing up her things.

“Yeah, Percy, behave!” Annabeth joked. Percy rolled his eyes and gathered his things, and Annabeth shouldered her backpack, “Excuse my friend, Mrs. Rogers, and I'm sorry we already kept you here this long.”

“It's quite alright, dear, you seemed to have had a lot of work,” the librarian smiled and ushered the two out so she can close up. 

Annabeth and Percy stepped out of the library, into the breezy autumn night. Annabeth suddenly changed her mind about not putting on her jacket when they exited.

“Could you hold this for a second?” she asked, holding out her backpack to Percy. He just took it from her silently and shouldered it, flipping his skateboard in his hands. She pulled her jacket over her yellow sweater, already much warmer.

“Backpack?” Annabeth held her hand out for him to hand her extremely heavy bag back.

Percy turned his head to her, his face gone in the darkness in the absence of a working streetlight behind Annabeth, “Want me to carry it for you? Assuming we're going together?”

“Well we do live two blocks away from each other,” Annabeth said matter-of-factly, “And I can carry my own backpack, thanks.”

“I know you can, but this thing is too fucking heavy to be lugging around all day, and I'm a gentleman. Seriously, I don't mind,” he cocked his head as if he were smiling, but Annabeth couldn't really tell in the darkness.

“It's fine really, I can carry it,” Annabeth insisted.

“As you wish,” he shrugged and handed her her backpack. 

“Thank you,” Annabeth shouldered it and the two got moving towards their homes in silence. The evening was chilly, but not too cold, and surprisingly, the streets were rather calm. Frankly, Annabeth found just walking like this in silence with Percy a little weird, but had no idea what they could talk about.

She just decided to talk some more about maths, “So you think you can manage the rest of the homework on your own?”

“Yeah, I think so,” Percy nodded, looking straight ahead, “Mind looking it over tomorrow?”

“Yeah, sure, I can do that,” Annabeth agreed.

“Cool, thanks,” Percy nodded, a tight-lipped smile on his face, “Thanks again for this, I really appreciate it.”

“Dude, thank me again and I'll kick you in the knee,” Annabeth joked. It really was no trouble to her. She would even go as far as saying she kinda enjoyed the afternoon, and didn't really want it to end.

Percy put his hands up in surrender. The two continued their stride home in silence, the only sounds around them the echo of their footsteps and the occasional car that passed them. Annabeth kinda enjoyed the silence, but she really wanted to talk to Percy. About anything really. The more time she spent around him, the more she enjoyed it. Percy had that weird sort of aura that seemed like it could fit with anyone. He was funny too, always cracking jokes and making her laugh, as much as she didn't want to give him the satisfaction. And she liked that he was straight forward. He didn't dance around her when asking her to help him with maths. He just asked. And she appreciated that. And more to the point she made when going to the library, just from his general presence, she could tell that he knew how to have fun in any situation. Even when studying maths, he had been calculating things in cookies, claiming that they are the greatest food in the world. 

She found herself really wishing to be his friend the more time she spent around him. But that other point she made before also found her way back into her head. They have nothing in common. They are completely different. And besides, she probably wasn't cool enough to hang with him, too nerdy or whatever.

“Hey, you hungry?” Percy suddenly broke the silence and her thinking. Annabeth looked up at him, eyebrows scrunched in question. He just shrugged and shoved his hands in his pockets, “I don't feel like going home yet, I thought we could hang out a bit. I know this great little place near here, if you're hungry. Best milkshakes and fries you'll taste in your life, my treat,” he ended with a small smile.

“Yeah sure,” Annabeth agreed nonchalantly. She didn't want to come off as too eager, but she really was. She had been trying to find a way to ask him something like that all day, and turns out she didn't need to. He asked her. And frankly, although she had no idea why, Annabeth was almost ready to do cartwheels from joy. 

“Great!” Percy grinned and grabbed her hand, pulling her forward in a little faster pace, “Come on!”

Annabeth laughed, “You know, I'm perfectly capable of walking without you pulling me?”

“I know,” he looked back at her with a teasing smirk, “But this is so much better and you know it.”

“Ha-ha, very funny,” Annabeth mocked, but let him pull her forward none the less. She wouldn't admit it, but it was better that way.

The two trudged through the near-deserted streets until they finally rounded the corner and Annabeth saw what must have been the place Percy was leading her to. It was just like in those 90s movies, a parking lot, and a one-story building with a bright facade and neon lights. The whole vibe the place gave off was so sweet and sugary, Annabeth wanted to puke cliches.

“You know, you're the last person I would imagine walking in here,” Annabeth chuckled as he opened and held the door for her.

“Yeah, but it is pretty great, you'll see,” Percy grinned.

Annabeth had to admit, the place was nice. A lot of squares and stripes in bright colors, but it was nice. There weren't many people in there. Of about a dozen tables and half a dozen booths, only four were occupied. Five, now that Annabeth and Percy sat into a booth by the window, opposite of each other. Annabeth shrugged her jacket off, and Percy did the same. She had to stop herself from staring, he had nice arms. Long and tan, with just a bit of muscle so that he wasn't too bulky, but just toned. Like a swimmer. And she looked around as to not stare at how tight his shirt looked on him. Not small-tight, but right tight, exposing his swimmer's build. She wondered if he swam, he'd probably be good at it, he seemed athletic.

“My my, if it isn't Percy Jackson!” a waitress in a yellow overall and a white apron approached the table, a grin on her face.

“Hey, Mel!” Percy greeted, “Long time!”

“Indeed, sugar. We've missed you around here. Where are Thalia and Nico?” the waitress – Mel – quizzed.

“God knows,” Percy smirked.

“Sounds about right,” Mel laughed, and turned to Annabeth, “And who's your lady-friend?” she asked, with a suggestive undertone on _lady-friend_.

“This is Annabeth,” Percy introduced, and Annabeth just offered a small smile and an awkward wave, “And she's just a friend, Mel,” Percy squinted his eyes at Mel.

“Sure, whatever you say, honey,” Mel mimicked, pulling out her notepad, “What will it be?”

“Two plates of fries, and two milkshakes,” Percy ordered.

“Chocolate, vanilla, strawberry?” Mel asked, scribbling their order down.

“I'll have a strawberry one,” Annabeth replied, and Percy followed up with, “Chocolate for me. Thanks, Mel!”

“No problem-o! Be here in a tick!” Mel skipped away.

“She's chipper,” Annabeth commented.

“Yeah,” Percy replied, “She can be a little too sugary at times.”

“I think she's nice,” Annabeth shrugged, “So, what's the deal, Jackson? What are we doing here?”

“No deal,” Percy shrugged, leaning back in his booth, “We're just hanging out.”

“Just hanging out?” she smirked.

“Yeah,” he mimicked, “You know, as friends do?”

“Okay then,” Annabeth nodded. They fell into silence at that. She wasn't sure what to do any further. Ask him things? Like what's his favorite color or something? That sounded more awkward than sitting in silence like this.

Annabeth kept mulling over his words in her head. _As friends do._ Are they friends? Does he consider her a friend? Of course he does, he wouldn't have said that otherwise. She thought about it. She would love to be friends with him. She would very much like to get to know the person beneath the leather and black, unravel this mystery that has been bugging her the past few weeks. He seems like a good guy. She knows he's a good guy and she has proof of it.

Yeah, they were friends in her book. But how to spring that friendship into being if she had no idea what to even talk to him about?

“Here's your order, darlings,” Mel came back and set their fries and milkshakes before them, “Enjoy!”

“Thank you,” Annabeth replied and grabbed a fry from her small basket, chewing it quickly, “You're right. These are the best fries I've ever had.”

“Told you so, Chase,” he smiled smugly, “Just you stick with me, I'll show you all the best things in this great city.”

“Yeah? Like what?” Annabeth challenged, eyebrow arched.

“Well now if I told you, it would ruin the surprises,” he countered, showing some more fries into his mouth.

“So I take it we're hanging out again some time?” Annabeth asked.

“Oh hell yeah,” Percy grinned, “You're a cool person, we're definitely hanging out. Not as cool as you could be, but we're gonna fix that soon, don't you worry.”

“And if I say no?” She knew she would never actually say no to him, but she just wanted to see what he would say here.

“Then I'm gonna annoy you until you say yes,” he smiled proudly, “Trust me, I'm very good at that.”

“I don't doubt it, Seaweed Brain.”

“Sure you don't, Wise Girl,” Percy mocked, “And for the record, I can be very annoying, so...”

Annabeth laughed at that. “ So tell me about that prank you guys pulled on Mr. D.? It was pretty funny, I wanna know more.”

“I'm sorry, did Annabeth “ _Perfect Example Student_ ” Chase just express interest into a prank a delinquent like me and some others pulled on a teacher?” his green eyes widened in mock surprise, “Who are you and what have you done to Chase?”

“Ha-ha,” Annabeth squinted her eyes, “For the record, I may be an exemplary student, but I can recognize a good prank, and I do take joy in seeing one of the worst teachers in history covered in foam and glitter.”

Percy laughed, “See, I knew you could be cool! And yes, it was pretty epic. Leo found this video on the internet, and we just put some chemicals the Stolls _borrowed_ from the chemistry lab, and Leo mixed everything up, and then Thalia and I set the trap on top of Mr. D.'s doors, so that some whatever chemical fell into a vial, which fell over on Mr. D. and exploded in foam. And Nico walked in on us and suggested we add a glitter cannon, which was the best idea since this prank first came into our minds. So we set two glitter cannons which fired after the foam.”

“Are you dure those chemicals were safe?” Annabeth questioned.

“Oh yeah, we used protective gear,” Percy grinned jokingly. Annabeth shot him a look, so he answered her question, “They're safe, we made sure of it.”

“So, how did he know it was you guys?” Annabeth asked further, content with his answer on the safety question.

“We may have left him a photo of the six of us and signed the back,” he smiled sheepishly, “We take up to our achievements.”

“And how did that work out for you?”

“Got two weeks of detention, sorting some books and PE equipment, nothing too bad,” Percy shrugged, “Totally worth it, though.”

“I'd say so, it was pretty hilarious,” Annabeth smiled.

“It really was,” Percy laughed. Annabeth joined in. 

They talked some more about this and that. Turns out, he did use to swim up until a year or so ago, but he gave it up. His mood dropped a little when she asked why, so she let it go, not really wanting to ruin the evening. Time went by quickly, and before she knew it, it was eleven pm, and they were just sitting there talking, milkshakes, and fries long since finished with.

“We should probably get going, it's getting late. My dad's gonna kill me,” Annabeth pulled on her jacket. Her dad probably didn't even notice she wasn't there, but Percy didn't really need to know that rather depressing part of her home life. Percy nodded and pulled on his own jacket. He left some money on the table for their food, much to Annabeth's protest.

“I promised I'm paying, and I'm a gentleman,” he insisted, so Annabeth backed off, mentally making a note to pay next time, if there really is a next time.

The two made way back home in comfortable silence. Percy walked her all the way to her front yard, when he saluted her and promised her they're gonna do that again. Annabeth chose to ignore his little comment about how she probably couldn't wait for it, she knew now that he was only joking. 

Annabeth made way to her front door and quietly into the house. As expected, her dad didn't notice she wasn't there, nor that she had come back home. Sighing, Annabeth took off her shoes and made way upstairs to her bedroom. She tried to cram in some studying, but decided she was too tired for that, so she just had a shower and retired for the night.

* * *

“Guess what?” someone sat down beside her in Art the following week, even though it wasn't his seat.

“What?” Annabeth played along. The black-clad guy grinned wide and pulled out a paper from his bag. Annabeth snatched the paper from him and found herself mimicking his grin, “A C?! This is great!”

“I know!” he nodded as she examined the work, “And it's all thanks to you! Seriously, I would've bombed it had you not helped me. Thank you so much again.”

“It's no problem, I'm glad I could've helped,” Annabeth handed him back the test, “If you ever need it again, just say the word.”

“You're the best, Annabeth. Thanks again!” Percy squeezed her hand once quickly before he shot up and made way for his own seat near the back. 

Annabeth turned back to her book, a small smile on her lips. _Yeah, we definitely are friends._


	5. Late Night Sneak-Outs And Detention

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annabeth receives a call from Percy late at night, asking her to go on a walk with him. Percy is upset over a fight he had with his friends, and it's up to Annabeth to help him calm down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! So this chapter has some angst, so brace yourselves. Also, we get a peak into Percy's music taste, as he learns that Annabeth has no preference and makes it his job to show her all the best bands. Enjoy!
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Percy Jackson or any of the characters mentioned. I also do not claim any of the songs mentioned. All rights go to their owners.

It was past midnight, and Annabeth was still up, studying hard. She had two tests in the morning, as well as a few essays and projects due to the end of the month. Granted, it was only the beginning of October, but she liked to be a little ahead of schedule. She and Percy had gotten their new Latin assignment, but decided there was time to get to it, they weren't in a rush. But Annabeth really wanted to get a little ahead with homework and everything, so she had reserved that weekend for studying and nothing else. She was invited multiple times to come and hang out with her friends for something they called Beginning Of October Pizza. Essentially, it was the anniversary of their first-ever pizza altogether, a tradition they kept for a good five years. 

But unfortunately for Annabeth, due to her newfound friendship with Percy Jackson, she had fallen behind on her school schedule – not actually behind the due date and everything, just behind her plans – so she had to skip on it and commit to that study weekend. He was seriously becoming a bad academic influence. Annabeth often found herself ditching her homework to go to the arcade with him, which had kind of become their new hangout place. It wasn't really an arcade, more of like a bowling alley/bar. It had some of those old-fashioned giant game machines, air hockey, pool tables, darts, bowling of course, and a small bar next to a pizza place. It was nice, and she and Percy spent many hours there. She would kick his ass at bowling, and then he pays for pizza, or he would beat her in pool, and she pays for pizza and so on.

She really enjoyed spending time with him, so much that she spent more time with him now than all her other friends combined. It was easy to talk to him, and just have fun. Sometimes they would go skating. She, of course, would not be caught dead on a skateboard, so she brought out her old rollerblades. Like she said, it was easy to just talk to him about whatever. Percy was an amazing listener, and Annabeth often found herself complaining about school, or sometimes her friends, even her dad, which was a sore subject for her. It was really very easy to tell him whatever, he always managed to cheer her up. He knew exactly what to say, either to comfort her or to shift her mood. She really appreciated it, and she really wanted him to open up to her like that too.

Percy wasn't exactly as much of an open book as she first thought. She was sure that if she just asked, he would tell her, but she never really wanted to pry too much. She did know, however, that Percy Jackson praises and loves his mom with all his heart. She was surprised that he would be a mama's boy, but he so was. And she found out that he had switched a lot of schools before high school began, because of many accidents that occurred that he claimed – and was partially right – were not his fault. Annabeth couldn't really say she could relate to what he told her, but she understood what he meant: he has severe dyslexia, and a lot of times, it made studying hard for him, and he got bad grades and the teachers just wrote him off as a bad, hopeless students. The „accidents“ he was involved in did not help his status. 

He told her about this one on of their evening walks, when they would actually just wander around until they found some quiet place, sat and talked. Annabeth listened to him intently, promising herself that now that they are friends, she would do everything to make the teachers and everyone else see just how smart and amazing Percy is. Because he really is. Maybe not book smart, but he's like an accidental genius. Sometimes he says things Annabeth was sure he had no idea about until he actually spoke them, hence the „accidental“ part.

But as much as she adored hanging out with him like that, Annabeth had school of her own to attend, and she made herself a promise that she would finish it all that weekend, so that she could hang out with her friends some more, and help Percy with his. They had some more study sessions after she helped him out in maths, and he never failed her once. Sometimes, like the first time she helped him out, they would hang out later, and he would still bring her what was left to do on his own to look over the next day. Like that first time, they got home past eleven, and according to Percy, he stayed up until two working on the remaining maths problems so she could look them over right the next morning. She appreciated that he made the effort to finish everything as soon as possible.

And so, Annabeth had spent two whole days cooped up in her room, only having left to get herself some energy drinks and food. She couldn't really help but hope that maybe her dad would notice that she's in her room studying all day and would come to talk to her, if even to make her go eat, but she doubted he even noticed. After all, Annabeth was practically grown up, she didn't rely on his to tell her what to do. Hasn't had for many years now.

Her studying was interrupted by her phone buzzing. Annabeth glanced from her textbook and picked it up, reading the caller ID, rather annoyed. It was Percy. She thought about hanging up and going back to her studying, which she had very little left of, but then she saw the time. He probably wouldn't be calling at this hour if it wasn't important.

„Hello?“

„Hey, Annabeth,“ his voice came from the other end, startling her a little. It was quiet, deep, and a little raspy and coarse. It alarmed her, he always sounded chipper and clear. Now, had she not known in advance who it was, she doubted she would've recognized it. He sounded angry.

„Percy? Is everything alright?“ Annabeth asked, worried.

„Yeah yeah, I'm sorry, did I interrupt something?“ he replied.

„Just biology. What's going on? Why are you calling me this late?“ Annabeth yawned, which probably wasn't the best in this situation.

„Ah fuck, I'm sorry, it's late, I should leave you to wrap that up, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have called, I'll leave you to wrap it up-“ he rambled, but Annabeth cut him off.

„Percy, what's going on?“ she demanded.

„Nothing, nothing, I was just wondering...“ he trailed off, „Would you maybe be up to go for a walk with me? I could really use some company right about now.“

„Sure, of course, I just hope we don't get arrested for being out this late,“ Annabeth tried for a joke and heard a half-hearted chuckle on the other end, „When can you get here?“

„Well, um, I'm kinda already outside,“ he said, and she could almost see him scratch his neck awkwardly. She had noted a long time ago that that's what he does when he's nervous, or in an awkward situation or whatever.

„Of course you are,“ Annabeth shook her head with a smile, „I'll be down in five.“

„Cool,“ Percy's voice carried over the other end, „I'll be waiting.“

Annabeth hung up and quickly reached into her closet, pulling out her thickest hoodie, a baby pink one, a pair of old jeans, and a denim jacket. She quickly threw them all on, along with some deodorant, tied her hair into a loose, messy ponytail and threw on some sneakers before sneaking past her dad's study and down the hall into the kitchen. She quickly put on a kettle of water and waited for it to boil. She poured the water into two paper cups and added tea bags, grabbed some sugar and a block of chocolate, and made way to the door. She took one last look at herself in the mirror, deciding that she looked somewhat presentable and swung the door open.

Percy was there, waiting for her, leaning against the railing of her porch. He was just kinda staring at the wall before him, his unruly black hair (the green having long since washed out) falling a little into his eyes. He looked the same as always – a leather jacket, some black shirt, ripped jeans, combat boots. But his face was a little different; no, a lot different in that split second before he turned to look at her. His jaw was clenched tight, his eyebrows scrunched, lips pursed a little. He looked angry.

But then he turned to look at her, it all changed. His eyes got that cheery glint again in the light that seeped from inside the hallway, his jaw unclenched and a smile formed on his face. Annabeth decided that she much preferred him like that then that angry version of him.

„Hey,“ he greeted, moving so he was fully facing her, „I'm sorry for just showing up like this, I know you had to study and that it's the middle of the night, but I really needed to see you right now.“

„It's okay, I don't mind,“ Annabeth handed him his cup of tea, trying not to blush at the last part of what he said. Sure, they had grown close in the past half month, but she still wasn't used to such comments coming from him. Percy looked at the cup and then back at her quizzically, so Annabeth had to explain, „You sounded upset over the phone, so I made tea. I don't know, it usually helps me.“

Percy nodded and slowly took the cup from her, their fingers brushing briefly, sending electricity down her spine. „Thanks.“

„No problem. I also brought chocolate if this is really that extreme,“ Annabeth joked, waving the chocolate in the air. Percy's eyes widened like a little kids, but she knew he was very ADHD, and chocolate only makes it worse, „Only if this is that bad! I don't want you with a sugar rush on my hands at one in the morning!“

„Fair point,“ Percy shrugged, „Let's go.“

„Where are we going?“ Annabeth fell in step with him after a few seconds. Sometimes she had difficulty keeping up with his pace if he was particularly excited and forgot to slow down. She was significantly shorter than him (which she hated to no end, he always made short jokes), and had a smaller step.

„Nowhere, we're just walking,“ he shrugged, taking a sip of his tea. She noticed how his eyes widened at the heat of it, but he showed no other indication that he was burned.

„Did you burn your tongue?“ Annabeth asked with half a smirk on her face. He was always playing tough, even in situations like this.

„Yeah,“ his voice was choked and strained, but Annabeth laughed none the less.

The two continued their walk down the streets in silence. It wasn't exactly uncomfortable, but Annabeth wanted to talk to Percy, find out what's been bugging him. And she knew the perfect place for it.

„Hey, let's go here,“ she grabbed his arm and pulled him around a corner into a small alley between two buildings. They made their way through the narrow alley to a small playground surrounded by old, four-story buildings. Annabeth let go of Percy's arm and sat down on a swing, with her friend taking a seat beside her.

They sat in silence slowly drinking their teas, swinging lightly. The evening was a little chilly, but Annabeth wasn't exactly cold, she had a pretty thick hoodie on. Percy, while he did look much more underdressed than her, didn't seem bothered by the wind at all. 

Annabeth finally broke the silence after about five minutes of just sitting in silence. She wanted to know what was bugging Percy at this hour of the night, and to help him resolve whatever problem there was. „So are you going to tell me what's bothering you?“

Percy remained silent for a few more seconds, before taking a deep breath, „It's Thalia and Nico. We had this huge fight earlier today, and now they won't talk to me.“ He shot up abruptly, throwing his paper cup into the slide, the little tea that remained in it spilling down the side. He started pacing, „It's not even my fault what happened, but they still blame me! And yeah, I did say some stuff to them, but they also shouldn't have said what they said, and now I can't get either of them to respond to my calls and I just don't know what to do!“

He flopped down onto the ground by the slide, burying his face in his hands. Annabeth stood up and slowly walked over to him, sitting down and putting a hand on his shoulder, „Slow down okay? Take a deep breath. Tell me what happened? Why did you guys get into a fight?“

Percy did as she told him, and leaned back against the slide, looking up into the starless night sky, „Thalia and Nico are in a band. And they're good. They're really good. And they had this constant gig at this one bar where they played every week at least twice. But they „got fired“ last night. The manager said they don't really attract crowds and that he found someone better. 

„They were in a bad mood and when I met up with them last night they blew up and said how it's all my fault because I won't join them, and now they can't find another gig like that, and they told me how I was being selfish and whatever. And I told them that they know very well why they lost the gig, and it's because Thalia won't listen to me when I tell her that something doesn't work, and that maybe she should stop acting so big and all-knowing, and that Nico could step up his game a little, and stop being an asshole, and they got mad at me, and they accused me of leaving them behind and always ditching them to hang out with you, and now they won't answer any of my calls or texts, and I just don't know what to do anymore!"

Annabeth wasn't really sure how she was supposed to react to the fact that Percy was actually cancelling plans to come hang out with her. She felt a little honored, and she was sure she probably would've started blushing like insane, had he not been so upset.

„I mean, I've known Thalia since kindergarten, and we've met Nico just a year after that, and we've always been together since. And sure, we've fought before, but it was never this bad, and I really regret what I did and said, but they know very well that they shouldn't have said what they said either, because they know the situation, but they were obviously mad at the moment and I know they didn't mean it, and I didn't either, but now I have no idea how to fix this!“

He had gotten up somewhere halfway through his ramble and started pacing again, speaking loud enough for Annabeth to hear, but also not cause too much disturbance to the residents of the surrounding buildings. But Annabeth didn't really care about that. She found herself worrying over Percy. She had never seen him behaving so scared, so angry, so upset. She could've sworn she saw a glint of tears at one point, but they disappeared when he finally ended his rant and punched the slide with all his strength. The echo of his fist colliding with the metal echoed through the night, but Annabeth was more worried about his hand now than anything else. She jumped up and rushed to him, grabbing the hand he was clenching in his other one and examining it.

„Jesus Christ, Percy, you're an idiot!“ Annabeth shouted, looking up at him angrily, „I get that you're upset, but you don't have to go and break your arm over it!“

„Fuck it, I don't even care anymore!“ he shouted, pulling his hand back quickly and kicking the slide, „I'm pissed, okay?! I don't care if I broke my hand, maybe it'll get those two to talk to me! Fucking idiots!“

„Don't talk like that, they're your friends!“ Annabeth countered, „And I get it, they've pissed you off, but they're still your friends!“

„Who gives a shit anymore! My friends don't want to speak to me! And they're all I have! Literally, they're all I have in the world! Everything else was taken from me!“ Percy screamed, „Just my mom and my friends always remained! And my mom's always working these days, I barely see her anymore, and my friends decided they hate me! And you! You say you get it, but what would you even know about this? With all your perfect grades and perfect friends, and perfect home and perfect life?!“

Now that hit Annabeth to the core. She didn't know Percy all that long, but she knew that he hadn't really had the easiest life and didn't like to talk about it, but her life wasn't perfect either. She practically lived alone, for heaven's sakes! And that's just to begin with! She had never met her mother, or even gotten more than a pat on the shoulder from her dad. She didn't have it all, and he knew it.

„Quiet down, will you? We don't want someone calling the cops on us!“ Annabeth marched over to him, ignoring the absolute pain in her chest and tears pooling in her eyes, and pulled him back down to the ground, sitting beside him. She took his hand in her own and began lightly massaging it, checking if it was broken. She was angry that he took his frustration out like that, but she said nothing about it.

„Listen, I get that you're upset, but this is no way to deal with it. And don't give me that crap about me having a perfect life when you very well know that that's not true!“ Annabeth took in a deep breath, trying not to cry, „I don't know what Thalia or Nico said to you to get you this worked up, but you also shouldn't have said what you said to me or to them.“

„Forget it, Annabeth, I don't even need them,“ Percy protested.

„Yes, you do,“ Annabeth near growled, „Because if you really didn't, you wouldn't be on a playground with me in the middle of the night, trying to punch a hole through some old rusted slide and giving me some crap about having nothing. And for the record, you haven't lost everything. You still have your mom, even if you don't spend as much time together anymore. And you'll still have Thalia and Nico after you let them blow off some steam. And you still have me, for what it's worth.

„Now here's what you're gonna do,“ she started, determined and angry, „You're gonna find them at school tomorrow, and you're gonna be the bigger person and you are going to apologize to them. You're gonna apologize for what you said, and for blowing them off to come hang out with me or whatever, and you're gonna spend some more time with them. You won't say anything, passive or otherwise, about what they said to you. You're just gonna find them and tell them that you're sorry about what you said, and you're gonna help them find a new gig or whatever.“

„Why should I be the bigger person? They started it!“ Percy protested again.

„Because you want your best friends back, and you're gonna swallow your pride and get them back,“ Annabeth explained, much calmer now, seeing his expression drop from an angry one to a sadder one, „And please don't do this again, okay? I have enough on my mind as it is, I don't need you breaking bones in anger.“

Percy stared at her for a few seconds in silence, though Annabeth refused to meet his gaze. He seemed to be mulling over what they both said, Annabeth could practically hear the gears turning in his head, „I'm sorry,“ he sighed finally, looking down at his feet.

„It's fine, just don't do it again,“ Annabeth replied passively.

„No, I mean...“ he cut in, „I'm sorry about what I said. I'm really, truly sorry. You didn't deserve it. I just, to me, this seemed like the end of the world, and I just didn't know what I was saying. Just... To me, your life always seemed so perfect, before I met you. And now I know it's not, since you've told me about your dad and your dyslexia and everything, and I just... I shouldn't have said that to you. I'm sorry.“

„I know,“ Annabeth nodded, avoiding looking him in the eye, „I know you're sorry and that you didn't mean it, but this is how your problem originated. You didn't think Percy, and you've said things that hurt Nico and Thalia, and me now. You need to think before you speak.“

„I know. And I am really, really sorry,“ Percy looked down sadly, „I hope you can forgive me, but I understand if you don't.“

„Don't worry about it. I get it, and I do forgive you,“ Annabeth said, „And Thalia and Nico will too. They love you and they care about you. You just have to apologize and work this through together, rather than attacking innocent slides.“ Annabeth finished that last part with a slight dry chuckle, trying to lighten the mood just a little.

„Right,“ he chuckled at that, „I'm sorry I just dumped this all on you, I know you had a lot of work tonight and that you have an early morning tomorrow. It's just... I know we haven't been friends that long, but you're really easy to talk to, and I really needed that right now. Thank you.“ He finished with a small smile.

The corner of Ananbeth's mouth turned up in an understanding, and she patted him on the back, „It's not a problem, really, I'd be up anyway, and I needed to get away from those books a little. And I know that you're upset over all this, and you have every reason to be upset, but please try to control yourself a little-“

„Christ, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, I wasn't thinking,“ he cut in, pure panic in his eyes, evident even in the darkness around them. Annabeth mentally cursed herself, she didn't mean to get him worked up about that too.

„Exactly. You weren't thinking, and you've said some stuff and then we started arguing. You just need to think of things before you say them. I get that it's hard when you're upset, but please try to use that pile of seaweed you call a brain.“

„Yeah, I will,“ he sighed, „I'm sorry again.“

„Me too,“ Annabeth nodded, „We good?“

„Totally,“ Percy smiled. „Thank you for this.“

„Any time,“ Annabeth yawned, „But maybe not at one in the morning again, eh?“

„Yeah, we should probably head home,“ Percy chuckled and stood up, offering his hands. Annabeth took them and a shiver ran down her spine at the contact. She ignored it, and let him pull her up. 

They stood way too close for a few seconds, just staring at each other. Annabeth's brain short-circuited upon seeing his eyes that close. He had the most perfect eyes, it was unfair. The perfect shade of green, like the Mediterranean sea, and they had so much depth, they showed so much that Annabeth simply couldn't read them. And to add those perfect long eyelashes was just to rub it in everyone else's face. 

Annabeth pulled away before she could start drooling, feeling her blood rush up to her cheeks. She hoped the darkness of the night would cover it up, as well as looking anywhere but at Percy, who seemed to be avoiding her gaze as well.

„Welp, let's go,“ Percy finally spoke up, moving backward and slamming right into the slide. Annabeth watched him fall on his back, and couldn't help but explode into laughter, clutching her sides. Percy groaned at first, but started laughing too. Soon, Annabeth was on the ground as well, still laughing like insane.

„Get away from here, you delinquents, or I'll call the cops!“ a distant voice of some old man brought them back to their senses. At this point, Annabeth was already crying with laughter. She looked up to see a man on one of the windows, waving a newspaper at them.

„Shit, let's go!“ Percy spoke through bouts of laughter, helping Annabeth up and running back the way they came from, hand in hand as their laughter echoed in the night, bouncing off the walls of surrounding buildings.

The two halted when they broke out on the main street, still chuckling and smiling, Annabeth let her gaze fall from the bright moon over their heads down to where their hands were still in each other's. Static ran through her body. She looked up at Percy's face and saw him still gazing in the direction they came from. His hair stuck up and fell over in all the right places, his lip ring reflected the flickering streetlight beside them. He looked down at her, his eyes still crinkled a little from the smile, and then his gaze fell on their hands. It was awkward a little, those two seconds before they simultaneously let go.

Annabeth cleared her throat, trying to ease the tension, „You know what?“ he cocked his head as Annabeth reached into her hoodie-pocket, pulling out the block of chocolate and waving it in the air, „I think we earned this.“

„Damn right,“ Percy laughed and Annabeth opened the chocolate as they made their way home. Neither of them said anything the whole way. There was a bit of distance between them as they walked. Annabeth had her arms wrapped around her chest, and Percy had his shoved in his pockets. He insisted he walk her home to her door, much to Annabeth's protests, so the two soon found themselves before Annabeth's yard.

„Hey, thanks again for this,“ Percy looked down at the ground as he spoke, „I really needed it. And again, I'm sorry about what I said.“

„Don't worry about it. Just keep calm and tell them you're sorry, and everything will be okay,“ Annabeth waved it off, „And please let's not repeat this. I'd hate it if my dad caught me sneaking out like this.“

„Well, I can help you climb up into your room if you want?“ he suggested with a shrug. Annabeth thought about it for a second, but seeing as how her window was closed, there was no way in except through the front door.

„No can't do,“ she shook her head, „Besides, it'll probably be fine, I doubt my dad noticed I was gone anyway.“

Percy said nothing at that, so Annabeth picked up again, „You should head home probably. Wouldn't want your mom to worry.“

„I hope,“ Percy offered a tight-lipped smile, one that was more a straight line than a smile anyway.

„They will,“ Annabeth assured, „And please put some ice on that hand of yours, I don't like how it's swollen up.“ She said, picking up his injured hand, examining it. She knew it wasn't too bad, but still.

„Will do,“ Percy chuckled, „Well, I better go. See you tomorrow, Chase.“

„You better be there first period Jackson,“ Annabeth pointed a finger towards him, daring him to do otherwise.

„Right beside you, Wise Girl,“ Percy saluted and turned his back to her, his figure slowly disappearing into the night. Annabeth smiled to herself and quietly made way inside, into the shower and finally to bed.

Only she couldn't fall asleep. She couldn't help but mull over what Percy said about her "perfect" life. Sure, she had a good life, but it was by no means perfect. Annabeth lived under constant stress over doing well in school, and in fear that she will disappoint someone she never even knew if she failed. She's scared that she'll lose what little she has because she wasn't good enough. She barely knows her dad, even though she has lived with him all her life. In fact, she felt more like a ghost in the house than anything else. She didn't blame her dad for their lack of relationship, even though in reality, it was his fault. Annabeth had made millions of attempts to form a bond with him, but it never worked, so eventually, she just gave up.

And to make it all worse, Annabeth only had one living parent. And she had no relationship with him. Sometimes she wished she knew what her dad was like when her mother was still alive. She wished her _mother was still alive_ more than anything. She would always have that hole in her chest where her mother should've been. She never had a chance at that relationship. She will never know what it's like to come home to a mother waiting for her with a nice, warm dinner. What a mother's hugs were like. She'll never experience the joy of going out shopping with her mother, or pain of having a fight with her. She'll never know what it's like to have a mother, because at this point, Annabeth was her own mother. Even if someone was to walk into her life by some miracle, and resemble a mother in any way, Annabeth will never really have that, because she's far too old now to have such an experience. She's lived without her mother too long, that she'll never even know what it's like to have a mother-figure besides herself, as weird as it sounded. But worst of all, Annabeth will never know what it's like to have a mother, because no one ever can or will get close enough to that.

But Annabeth had made peace with the fact that her mother was gone long ago. She knew there was nothing she could do about it now, it's too late. Her mom is gone, and she'll never come back. And so Annabeth tried to fill that hole by being the best at everything, only to make someone long gone proud. She wasn't sure anymore why she kept that up, knowing that it was pointless, but she couldn't get herself to stop. She hoped that maybe her mother is somewhere out there in the sky, looking down on her and smiling at the few accomplishments she made. Perhaps she was proud. Maybe she was disappointed. Maybe she didn't care enough to look down on her at all.

That was the last thing Annabeth remembered thinking, as sleep finally consumed her, and one single tear slid down her face.

* * *

Annabeth had never imagined herself in detention, but there she was. The perfect student, one who never got into trouble, had the perfect grades, the one all (okay, most) teachers loved, sitting in the same classroom as a bunch of slackers. She never would've imagined it, but it did happen. And Annabeth wasn't sure if she was angrier at herself for getting detention or the detention professor who just let them do whatever when he obviously should've inforced some sort of punishment for their behavior, as much as Annabeth didn't want it.

Since she had no particular task for this extra hour she had to spend at school, Annabeth just pulled out her homework and decided to start that up. She had just answered one chemistry problem when the doors to the classroom opened, and the one person Annabeth really didn't want to see at that moment sauntered in, aviators over his eyes, hands in his pockets.

That day, Annabeth really kinda hated Percy, because had he not pulled her out of her house after midnight last night, she wouldn't have fallen asleep in class that morning, and then she wouldn't be wasting her time in detention.

Percy, on the other hand, beamed when he saw her. Her scowl was greeted by a toothy grin, as he skipped over to her, pushing hos aviators up onto his hair.

„Are my eyes deceiving me, or is Annabeth Chase in detention?“ Percy teased as he flopped down beside her, tossing his backpack onto the desk before them.

„Shut up, this is your fault!“ Annabeth barked at him, minding not to raise her tone too much, „Had you not pulled me out at one in the morning, I wouldn't have fallen asleep in class today!“

„Daring, aren't you?“ Percy teased, but Annabeth's glare seemed to shut him up, „Don't worry, just don't make too much noise here and don't talk to Craig and this won't go in your record. God knows mine is lacking at least fifty of these in the last four years.“

„You are terribly relaxed about this,“ Annabeth arched an eyebrow.

„I'm here practically every week, and besides, Craig loves me,“ Percy shook his head, „Watch. Hey Craig!“ he called out to the detention teacher, who barely looked up to him.

„Percy! My man, what did you do this time?“ the teacher shook his head.

„Eh, just late to class,“ Percy leaned onto the desk, „Listen, would it be okay if my friend here and I left early? Like, right now? I really don't wanna be here right now.“

„Absolutely not,“ the teacher deadpanned, „You can go in fifteen minutes.“

„You're the best,“ Percy clicked his tongue and turned back to Annabeth, „See? We'll be out in no time.“

„Are you sure we won't get in trouble for leaving early?“ Annabeth questioned.

„Nope, Craig's the one who decides when we can or can't leave,“ Percy grinned. He turned to his backpack and started digging through, pulling out his earbuds and tablet. He plugged the earbuds in, putting one in his right ear and handing Annabeth the other. Annabeth looked at the offering and then back at him, „Unless you just wanna sit here doing nothing for the next fifteen minutes?“

Annabeth shrugged and took the earbud from him, placing it into her left ear. She waited for Percy to press play.

„You got a preference?“ he asked.

„Not really,“ Annabeth shrugged, „Not that big on music.“

Percy spun around so fast, both their earbuds fell out. He stared at her with wide eyes, disbelief on his face, before he finally broke into a devious grin, „Seems like I've got my work cut out for me!“ he placed the earbud back into his ear, and Annabeth did the same, just in time to hear the music start, „We're starting off with the classics, must know. This is _[ Homecoming ](https://youtu.be/KevdP2uJOZ0) _ by Green Day.“

Annabeth paid a little more attention to the guitar riff and the lyrics once they kicked in, and found that she recognized it. She nodded along slightly, admittedly liking the song. Percy smiled when she confirmed that she liked it, and continued scrolling down his playlist, which Annabeth found to be absurdly long. She asked him if he knew all those songs, to which he just grinned and said that it's just his favorites, and that his real collection is in his CDs back home. He played her some more songs, and Annabeth actually had to admit she liked them.

„This is Three Days Grace. They're one of my personal favorites,“ Percy informed as he pressed play on one of the songs, „This is one of their more popular songs, _[ Animal I Have Become ](https://youtu.be/xqds0B_meys) _.“

Annabeth had to admit, she wasn't too huge on that one, „Not really my thing.“

„You don't have a thing yet, but very well, let's try something a little different,“ Percy shrugged, pressing play on a different song, „This is Panic! at the Disco, _[ Nicotine ](https://youtu.be/LkBxcmxWKAA) _. They're a little more indie and alternative, but they have great music for when you want to dance and stuff.“

Annabeth banged her head along a little, even humming the chorus once she memorized it. She had to admit, this was her favorite so far, „I like this one.“

„Thought so, you give off that kind of vibe,“ Percy chuckled, „This is a different one of theirs, from their older days, _[ Nails For Breakfast, Tacks For Snacks ](https://youtu.be/7jaVUP0dvow) _.“

Annabeth liked this song too, as weird as the name was. She memorized the name of the band, just so she can check it out later. She still thought music was kinda pointless, and a distraction, but she figured it was a little enjoyable too.

„Let's go, we can continue your education on the bleachers,“ Percy stopped the song and collected his things. Annabeth did the same, and the two exited the classroom, with Percy throwing a quick goodbye to the teacher. Annabeth rolled her eyes at the skip in his step as they made way for the bleachers. It was chilly outside, but Annabeth was dressed warmly, so she was okay with it. Percy sat down a little too close to her, but she tried to pay it no mind. He handed her the earbud again, and played a different band.

„What's this?“ Annabeth asked, hearing a female voice singing now.

„This is Evanescence. They're a little more rock and metal, but they have great songs, and I had a feeling you'd like her voice,“ Percy replied. Annabeth nodded along with the song, but it really wasn't that much her thing.

„I like it, but that's just not it,“ she said finally.

„How about this?“ Percy played a new song, „This is Paramore. They have more of that pop-punk, alternative feel, like Panic!“

„I do like this,“ Annabeth admitted, but then she decided she had enough music for the day, „Listen, what are we going to do for the creative task for Latin?“

Percy groaned and stopped the music, pulling out his earbud and packing it back up in his backpack, along with his tablet, „Do we really have to talk about this now? It's only the beginning of the month!“

„I wanna get this over with as soon as possible,“ Annabeth stated, „So? Ideas?“

„How about this?“ Percy sighed, „We meet up on Friday and do this? We could study some, maybe watch a movie and then we can go see Thalia and Nico play in the evening?“ he suggested, his voice going up a little near the end.

Annabeth perked up, „Did you speak with them? I completely forgot.“

„Yeah, we talked. It's all good now,“ Percy smiled slightly, „We both apologized, so everything's been worked out. We're good. Thank you again.“

„Dude, stop thanking me,“ Annabeth slapped his shoulder slightly, „I'm glad things worked out.“

„Me too,“ Percy nodded, „So? What do you say? Wanna go see them Friday?“

„Sure, why not?“ Annabeth agreed with a shrug, „Where are they playing?“

„There's this little punk bar in Brooklyn, they got a gig there,“ Percy explained, „So we can meet up after school, do something for the project and then go see them in the evening. I'll drive you home after.“

„Cool,“ Annabeth nodded, „So, at the library again?“

„Can we please not go there again? Like, ever?“ Percy whined, „All that knowledge makes me want to throw up.“

„Well where can we go'“

„We can go to my place?“ Percy suggested, „My mom won't be home, so we'll have some peace. I can order us a pizza and stuff, and we can maybe watch a movie after.“

„Okay then,“ Annabeth shrugged.

„Cool,“ Percy grinned, „I'll come pick you up at your place after school though, I have detention after classes.“

„Do I even want to know?“

„Probably not,“ he made a face. Annabeth laughed and took the earbud from him when he fished it out again, playing more songs Annabeth didn't really know, but enjoyed. They didn't speak much after, other than him explaining who was playing.

Percy walked her home two hours later, and Annabeth spent the rest of her day just studying or cleaning. There really wasn't much to do. She thought about maybe asking her dad to come and have lunch with her, but when she saw him sleeping, she decided against it. Instead, she called Piper and Hazel over, and spent her day hanging out with her two best friends, though her head was more on that Friday, eagerly waiting for a new hangout with a different friend.


	6. Thoughtful Gifts And Backstories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Before the two go see Thalia and Nico play, Annabeth and Percy just hang out at his apartment. Percy has a little present for Annabeth, and Annabeth learns a lot about her new friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here's the next chapter! It's a little longer than usual, but who cares. As always, I hope you like it! Enjoy!
> 
> WARNING: This chapter contains mentions of abuse and depression!
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I do not own the characters of this story. Same goes for all the songs mentioned. All rights go to their rightful owners.

The buzzing of her phone pulled Ananbeth's attention from the book she was reading. She picked it up and brought it up to her ear, already knowing who was on the other end.

“Yo,” she greeted. And in her head it was immediately followed by, _when did I start speaking like this?_

“Hey, I was just calling to check if we're still up for later?” Percy's voice carried over the line.

“Yeah, of course,” Annabeth nodded and smiled, and then remembered that he can't see it, “When should I come down?”

“I'll be at your place in five,” he replied and hung up, and Annabeth could almost hear his smile in his voice. She didn't mind that he just hung up on her, she knew she was just about to see him anyway. Smiling, the blonde marked her book and left it in its designated place on her shelf neatly, as she always did. She quickly checked her bag, seeing if she was missing anything by anything. Seeing as how everything was in place, she quickly pulled on her jacket, shouldered her bag and padded down the stairs to put on her shoes.

“Dad, I'm going out!” she shouted. She almost expected no reply, and was very startled when her dad appeared in the doorway of the kitchen.

“Where are you going?” he asked, yawning and absent-mindedly stirring a cup of coffee.

“To a friend's, we have a project to work on,” she said, her mind wondering if she should tell him she was probably going with this friend to a bar to watch his other friends play in a band. She decided against it, seeing how he might forbid her from going, or was at the very least in for a lecture on keeping safe, one that Percy might catch her in the middle of, which is embarrassment she did not need at all. And besides, she doesn't have to report everything she does to him, her dad barely notices she is or is not home anyway. When he starts acting like a dad, then maybe she would start reporting regularly to him.

“Who is this friend?” he questioned.

“Where did this sudden interrogation come from?” Annabeth tried to deflect, but her dad saw through it.

“Don't change the subject. And I feel like it is in order, ever since you started sneaking out in the middle of the night,” he arched an eyebrow at her, his voice accusatory. So, he knows about her little outing the previous weekend.

“Okay, first of all, I feel that maybe you should think less about who I'm working projects with and more about the fact that you decided to catechize me about the fact that I snuck out _five days_ after it actually happened,” Annabeth challenged, and saw her father's expression drop a little at her accusation, but she felt no remorse, seeing as how she was absolutely right to accuse him of waiting, “And second, if you really must know, I'm meeting with Percy, a friend from my Latin class, who lives two blocks from here.”

“So he's a guy?” her dad asked.

“Yes, he's a guy I happen to be paired up with for this project. Mr. Brunner picked the partners,” Annabeth shrugged, checking her phone and seeing a text from Percy, telling her he's in front of her house. She typed out a quick response and turned back to her dad, “Now, if you have nothing against it, I have to go.”

“When will you be back?” her dad asked.

“I don't know, this project is pretty big, and we're meeting some of his friends later for a movie, might be late,” she replied, “And don't worry, Percy's gonna walk me home later, he always does.” _Especially after what happened the last time I was walking home that late_ , she thought, but would never say it out loud.

“So you're safe with him?”

“As safe as I could possibly be,” she assured him and picked up her bag, “I have to go. See you later. Don't wait up for me. There's some leftover pizza in the oven if you're hungry.”

She didn't wait for a reply, and instead just opened the door a crack and slipped out, rushing down the small path to the sidewalk, where she saw Percy leaning against a street light, looking as punk as always. He had his phone in hand, and probably didn't hear her coming due to the earbuds in his ear.

Annabeth grabbed his upper arm and quickly dragged him around the nearest corner. He tripped when she pulled him, but fell in step with her fairly quickly. When Annabeth was sure they were out of the view of her house, she finally spared him a glance, to see him staring at her in confusion.

“Hello to you too,” Percy said finally.

“Sorry, hey,” Annabeth greeted properly.

“What was that about?” Percy questioned.

“My dad decided to interrogate me on where I was going, and I'm pretty sure he tried to catch a peek out the window,” Annabeth explained, “Apparently, he knows about me sneaking out with you this weekend, but decided to put off asking me about it until now for God knows what reason, so I'm kinda pissed about that and don't really want to give him the satisfaction of knowing everything about me right now, which includes who I'm hanging out with.”

“Oh, I'm rubbing off on you, Chase, you're becoming more of a rebel with each day,” Percy laughed, “But seriously, are you sure this is the best approach?”

“Definitely not, but right now, I just kinda want to spite him. When he makes up for years of practically no communication with me, then he can start asking questions about my life,” Annabeth replied, determined in her decision.

“But how can he do that if he can't ask you anything now?” Percy pointed out.

“Well, he can start with having dinner with me every once in a while,” Annabeth shrugged, “Anyway, enough about that, what's up?”

“Not much,” Percy shrugged and started walking towards where Annabeth assumed was his house, “We still goin' to Thalia and Nico's gig later tonight?”

“If you want,” Annabeth nodded, “I brought some spare clothes to change before we go, if that's alright? I didn't really want to be sitting in them all day.”

“Yeah, it's chill,” Percy shrugged, shoving his hands in his jean pockets, “So, they have the gig at eight, but I promised them I would help with the equipment, so we have to get there half an hour earlier, so we'll leave around six-thirty. Is that good with you?”

“Yeah, it's fine,” Annabeth shrugged, “I just hope we can finish the project by then.”

“Uh-uh, school after pizza,” Percy silenced her, “I already ordered us one, should be there right after us.”

“You didn't have to, really,” Annabeth mumbled.

“Yeah, but I'm starving, and shouldn't I, as a host, offer my guests food?” Percy chuckled, and Annabeth couldn't help but join in. She shrugged her backpack back on her shoulder as it was slowly sliding off. Percy must have noticed, “Want me to carry that for you?”

“It's fine, really, I can manage-”

“I know you can, but you don't have to,” Percy stopped in his way, extending an arm a little, “Come on, humor me. Let me be a gentleman this once.”

Annabeth glared at him, but he stared back at her, right in the eyes. She couldn't help but marvel at the intensity of his gaze. His eyes seemed so unyielding, that she had trouble refusing him. He seemed to be able to stare right through her, into her very soul.

Eventually, she gave up and handed him her backpack, which he threw over his free shoulder, so he had his own backpack on one, and Annabeth's on the other shoulder. He smiled triumphantly, “Thank you.”

“Oh shut up,” Annabeth rammed him with her shoulder lightly, not really fond of losing, even in situations like that. She head Percy chuckle and fall in step with her.

After a minute or two of walking in comfortable silence, Percy rounded a corner and lead her down a small path to the entrance of a building. It wasn't old, but it wasn't exactly new either. He fished out his keys and held the door open for her, before leading her up three flights of stairs and unlocking the tall brown door to an apartment.

It wasn't really much upon first glance, but it felt homey. It was warm inside, not just temperature-wise, but also figuratively. So far she had only seen the hallway and a small glimpse of a living room through the open door on the right. But the walls were colored a nice, calming beige color, with a small cupboard on one side, where a variety of jackets and a bright red scarf hung, as well as a mirror beside the hangers. 

She followed Percy's lead and took off her shoes, following him into the neatly-kept living room. There really wasn't much in there, a plush orange sofa with two armchairs, a small coffee table with a bowl of fruit and a book by Agatha Christie on there. There was a small TV neighbored by a big bookshelf filled to the brim, and a little outdated sound system facing the living area. Behind the sofa was a big window with an entrance to a small balcony overlooking the side ally. On the right was an arched entrance to a small dining room, with a table for four, and a small kitchen connected to it. The whole place, strangely, smelled of cookies. 

The apartment definitely wasn't the biggest, most modern, or the richest she had ever seen, but she loved the feel of it. She found herself comparing the modest Jackson residence to the Mclean mansion, and found that she much preferred Percy's home to Piper's. There was just something that felt right in how the furniture looked used and how there was stuff everywhere without making a mess. It felt like a family home, even if the family meant only Percy and his mom, as far as Annabeth knew.

“Nice place,” Annabeth said honestly, sitting down on one of the armchairs, just as Percy set down their backpacks by the sofa.

“Thanks,” he shrugged, “It's not much, but it's home.”

“It's nice, I like it,” Annabeth smiled. 

“Oh, I've just remembered!” he shot up, “I've got something for you, come on!”

Annabeth took a moment to recover from her shock, but followed him out into the hallway and into another room, which she guessed was his upon entry.

It was small, with a desk below a window where she also saw an opening to the fire escape, a twin bed on one wall, and a small closet on the other. There were about a million papers scattered on the desk, bed, and floor, as well as pencils and, surprisingly, sharpies and colored pencils. Annabeth glanced around while Percy dug through the little cupboard attached to his desk. There were about a million posters above his bed, as well as pictures of him and his friends and a middle-aged woman Annabeth assumed was his mom. Thalia, Nico and Reyna were all there too, on multiple pictures, as well as Rachel Dare for some reason. And the posters lining the wall displayed names of bands Annabeth had never even heard of. 

“Wow, you've got _a lot_ of posters,” Annabeth commented, and she wasn't even joking. Practically the whole wall was covered in posters. There were Green Day posters, Blink-182, All Time Low, The Muse, Black Veil Brides, Linkin Park, Evanescence, My Chemical Romance, Paramore, Mindless Self Indulgence, Fall Out Boy, Twenty One Pilots, Panic! at the Disco, Waterparks, I Don't Know How But They Found Me, at least a dozen Three Days Grace posters, and some more classic rock bands – Led Zeppelin, Queen, AC/DC, Metallica, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Nirvana, and a bunch more, Annabeth couldn't even count them all.

“Yeah, I'm a fanatic,” Percy chuckled, “Sorry about the mess, by the way, I didn't really have time to clean up.”

“It's okay,” Annabeth replied, shifting her focus on the biggest vinyl and CD collection she had ever seen, “And it's true, you are a fanatic. How do you even get this many CDs? And more importantly, why do you even still have CDs?”

“First of all, not all are for listening,” Percy said, “Some are signed by bands I've met in the past few years. And they're more of a collection than to listen to, there are a few of my own mixes on there, which are the only ones I play. And I prefer to listen to the stereo, so I need something to play on it. A-ha! Here it is!”

Annabeth turned from browsing through his extensive collection/obsession to see Percy jumping up with a small black CD wallet, one of those where you can store multiple CDs. He got to her in two long steps and handed it to Annabeth, who watched him curiously.

“This is for you,” he said, bowing his head a little, “I've made it myself. Spent many hours of this week on it. You've got over a dozen CDs in there, with a bunch of bands. Most are just one band, with their best songs, in my humble opinion, so you can see what you like. But I've made a few mixes too, with some of the best songs from all that,” he gestured to his collection, “You've probably got about thirty hours worth of music in there. Maybe not that much, but still a lot.”

Annabeth was speechless. He really made that sort of effort? For her? She truly was stunned. She didn't know what to say. She couldn't imagine how many hours he must have spent before a screen to make her that. He could've just sent her a link to a playlist, but he made the effort to handpick the best stuff. She really was touched.

“Well? Do you like it?” Percy asked, and Annabeth looked up at him, mouth slightly agape. He was shuffling nervously in his spot before her. She felt tears prickle at her eyes. Percy's eyebrows scrunched, “You're crying. Why are you crying?”

“I'm not, I just...” Annabeth blinked away the tears, a smile placing itself on her lips, “I didn't really expect this. No-one's ever really done something like this for me. Thank you so much!”

She didn't know what came over her, but the next second, Annabeth found herself standing on the very tip of her toes, throwing her arms around his neck and pulling him in for a hung. Percy stiffened for a second, and Annabeth thought that maybe she crossed some line, but a moment later, she felt his arms wrap around her back, and she relaxed a little. Percy was strong and warm, and he smelled of the ocean for some strange reason.

Annabeth pulled away before it got awkward. She offered him a small smile, one that he mimicked. She was again mesmerized by his eyes. It was unfair how green they are. 

The doorbell ringing broke her out of her thoughts. Percy grinned, “That's pizza! I'll be right back.”

He moved past her and into the hallway. She faintly heard him talking to the delivery guy, as she leaned against his desk and browsed through the CDs he made for her. There was a handwritten paper with the tracklisting with each CD. She really was touched. She set down the wallet, glancing at the desk behind her.

Annabeth was surprised, to say the least. She picked up one of the papers on there. She imagined they were just notes from class or whatever, but she was mistaken. Percy's desk was covered in drawings and writing. The paper Annabeth picked up depicted the New York skyline from his window in what she assumed was just a pencil. Another one showed a park. One was of two hands intertwined between each other. There was a profile of someone who suspiciously resembled Thalia. There were dozens more drawings, all masterfully done. They were breathtaking. 

And there were not just drawings. There were songs scattered on his desk too. Annabeth assumed they were just of some existing band, but she couldn't help but admire them. There were some that were long and seemed done, and some that maybe just had a lyric as a quote or stuff. Whoever wrote them had a way with words, that was for sure.

“Pizza's in the kitchen, if you're-” she heard Percy's voice coming closer and just a second later, he walked into the room, seeing her standing there reading one of those papers. He smirked, “Found anything interesting?”

“I, uh, yeah... Did you draw all these?” Annabeth questioned, picking up the skyline drawing.

“Uh, yeah,” Percy replied, his mouth in a sheepish smile. He leaned against the doorframe, trying to look casual, but even over the distance between them, Annabeth could see that he was nervous, “You like them?”

“They're... amazing!” Annabeth answered, truthfully, “They're really, really good. I didn't know you could draw!”

“Yeah, well, I've got a lot of hidden talents, Chase,” he winked at her. Annabeth arched an eyebrow at his little comment, but said nothing. She continued to browse through his many drawings, finding that every next one was better than the previous one.

At one point, she dropped a paper, and it flew beneath his bed. Annabeth got down to pick it up, at the same time Percy spoke up instead of silently watching her, “Leave it, it's fine-” his voice was rushed, like there was something he didn't want her to know.

“Is this a guitar under here?” Annabeth cut him off, getting back up, leaving the mysterious black case where it was. She watched Percy's gaze fall to the floor sadly, as he bit the inside of his lip.

“Yeah,” he replied, barely loud enough for her to hear, “Two of them, actually.”

“I didn't know you play,” Annabeth cocked an eyebrow.

“I don't,” he looked up, his gaze empty, “Not anymore, anyway.”

“Why not?” she asked. Something was telling her this is a sore subject for him, but she was too curious to let go. And he knew he didn't have to answer her, so he could just say no.

“It just... lost its charm, I suppose,” he shrugged, sitting down on the edge of his bed, avoiding her gaze.

“How come?” Annabeth sat down beside him, a foot or so between them. She watched him stare before himself, his eyes sad, shoulders slouched. It was wrong seeing him like that, and Annabeth had a feeling she was being a little too nosy, but she couldn't help herself.

“Because of my dad,” he said, finally, after a long, deep sigh, “And my old stepdad.”

His voice had a certain tone of anger that caught Annabeth off guard, even after what happened that weekend. Percy pursed his lips in thought, his jaw clenched tight.

“Oh,” was all Annabeth could say, “I'm sorry, I didn't know. You don't have to tell me-”

“No, it's okay,” Percy sighed, and started telling her the story, “I don't know how much I've told you before, but my old stepdad was a world-class asshole. A stupid, drunken, good for nothing piece of shit. Only I didn't know it until about nine years ago. He always seemed nice, if smelly. He would give me money to go out with friends, watched football with me. He seemed good. Only he was beating my mom senseless for ages, I just didn't see it. Or maybe I did, but refused to piece two and two together, I don't know anymore.

“I was nine when I finally found out. He seemed to always put on this nice act when I was home and stuff, and one time, I got home from school earlier than planned, and the whole place was a mess,” he took in a deep breath, and Annabeth let him continue without saying anything, “We lived in a different apartment then. The whole place was trashed. The table flipped over. Beer cans everywhere. And my mom on the floor, crying, that bastard's hand still up. It all happened so fast, I barely even walked in when I heard another smack. And then he saw me there, and he finally dropped the whole act. He made us two clean up, and it went on like that for the years to come. He started hitting me too, eventually, and he made me a deal. I keep my mouth shut and he will leave mom alone. Of course, I was stupid and trusted him, but he didn't leave her alone.”

Annabeth saw tears prick at his eyes, and she wasn't much better either. She was about to reach out to him and try and comfort him when he suddenly straightened up, “I was twelve when we finally got rid of him. Mom saw him hitting me once and called the cops finally. He's in jail now. Mom and I packed up after the police took him and we moved here. It's been good since, so that's something.”

“Why didn't your mom leave him before?” Annabeth couldn't help but ask.

“Because even though he sat around at home all day, Gabe made good money, and we really needed it at the time,” Percy explained, “It was a little difficult after she left him, but we managed. It's all good now.

“Anyway, I did have an out during those years,” Percy continued, “Something that helped me through. That guitar below was my dad's. I found it in the basement one day and took it up with me. Mom told me how he was in a band when he was younger. I've never really known him, the fucker packed up and left before I was even born. I think he's dead, but I'm not sure, mom doesn't speak about him. After Gabe left, I started hating him too, for leaving my mom, for leaving me, for leaving us with Gabe. But before, it made me feel closer to him, and it really helped me deal with the whole Gabe situation.

“So I sat down and taught myself how to play. And I loved it. That's what actually brought me to music, how it became my life. It helped me cope. And after Gabe left, my mom saved some money and bought me a new, electric one. And I loved it. Thalia, Nico and I started a band. We called ourselves _The Phantom Revolution_ ,” he chuckled at the name, “And we started off playing some covers in Thalia's garage, but then we began writing our own songs. We got our first gig when we were fifteen, at this little party. And slowly, we started booking other stuff. And people liked it. They really liked it. We had a constant gig back in some bar, not the one where Thalia and Nico just got fired from, this one closed. That's actually why we fought the other day. I left about this same time last year, and apparently, they lost popularity slowly. So they blamed me for that, and for losing the gig, and we ended up fighting.”

“Why did you leave?” Annabeth asked.

“Because it was too much. Because I couldn't cope with it anymore. Because I didn't feel good anymore. Because I hated it,” Percy spat out, “Every time I picked up that guitar, I could see Gabe before me. I could see the faceless shape of my dad leaving. And I hated it. I was so angry, and I blamed them for everything that had gone wrong in my life. And I was depressed and stuff. Just, generally not good. So I quit. Because after every show, every time we played, I would end up leaving and breaking down. I couldn't take it anymore. So I quit.”

“I'm sorry,” Annabeth didn't know what else to say to him. She hated when people told her they're sorry about her mom, for example, because it didn't help, but she really had no idea what else to say to Percy.

“Don't be,” he chuckled, “There's nothing you could've done. And for the record, Thalia and Nico weren't angry when I left. They understood, and they helped me through it all later. What was said last weekend was said in anger, and not meant, so we're cool now.”

Annabeth nodded, “Still, they shouldn't have said that. Do you ever miss playing?”

“Yeah, I do. It was my life. My getaway,” Percy sighed, “I'm just glad listening to music didn't lose its appeal like playing. I don't know what I would've done if it had. And I found a new outlet. After I quit music, I started drawing. And I still write songs. Usually I just shove them somewhere where I will never see them again, but sometimes if they're good, I give them to Thalia and Nico, since they're not too big on actually writing music, just playing.”

“So what you mean is that you've written those songs too?” Annabeth asked. Percy nodded. “Wow! They're really good, Percy. I just thought they were already existing songs. You're talented, dude.”

“Thanks,” he chuckled.

“You think you might ever get back into playing?” Annabeth asked.

“I don't think so,” he shook his head, a small, sad smile on his lips, “I've gone through a lot before I quit, and I'd hate to repeat that. But who knows? Maybe someday. Though I highly doubt it.”

“Understandable,” Annabeth thought out loud, and put a hand on his shoulder, “Thanks for telling me this. I know it was hard.”

“Thank you for listening,” Percy looked at her, for the first time since he started telling her this story, “I haven't really ever told anyone besides Thalia and Nico, and they were there through it all, so I haven't really ever told them either. It was good to get it out.”

“Well, if you ever need to go about anything like this again, you know where I live,” Annabeth tried for a smile, and couldn't help but feel her heart warm up at the sight of his smile returning on his face.

They sat in silence for a while, with Percy probably trying to push away memories, and Annabeth mulling over his words. She couldn't help but wish to tear this Gabe apart with her own hands for hurting Percy like that. Even if they had only been friends shortly, no one deserved that. She wished she had befriended him before, to have been there for him when he needed it. 

She tried to imagine Percy on stage. She could definitely see him in his usual punk attire, a guitar over his shoulder, rocking along to some heavy, loud song. She could see a full arena of people, singing along with him. She couldn't quite hear his voice, she had no idea how he sounded. When he talked, Percy had a deep, little gravelly voice. He spoke slowly, and he had a heavy New York accent. His voice seemed to deepen when he was upset, and pitch up when he was excited. She wasn't sure how he would sound when singing. But she could definitely see him playing before a giant crowd, absolutely destroying it.

“Well, I don't know about you, but that pizza is calling me,” Percy grinned and pulled her out of her thoughts, “And we should probably start up on that project of yours.”

“Did I just hear Percy Jackson willingly say he wants to start working on school stuff?” Annabeth teased, following his back into the living room, where a giant pizza carton sat on the table.

“Yeah, I don't even sound like myself anymore. What have you done to me?!” he teased, making Annabeth laugh. The mood shifted back into their carefree banter, and Annabeth decided she much preferred this laughing Percy over the angry one she saw before, when talking about his past. She liked the glint in his eyes when he told a joke, and when she laughed, much more than the swirling hurricane of emotions, just waiting to break free.

“So, what are we doing?” Percy asked, taking a bit out of his slice of the cheesy goodness.

“It's a creative task, you tell me,” Annabeth replied, taking a slice of her own and sitting down in one of the armchairs.

“Wanna make a comic-book?” Percy suggested, “You write the story, I draw it? I could make it into an animation.”

“You sure you can do that? It sounds like a lot of work.”

“Well, it is, but I don't mind. Drawing is relaxing,” he replied, “I can do it if you want.”

“Okay then, I'll write up on something about Athena and Poseidon,” Annabeth shrugged, “And you illustrate it.”

“Cool,” Percy nodded, “Just keep it short. And write in lines, like a screenplay.”

“Aye-aye sir,” Annabeth saluted, “I'll get started on it tomorrow, it should be done by the end of the weekend.”

“Cool. That's enough about school, wanna watch a movie or something?” Percy let himself fall back onto the sofa and picked up the remote. After some fierce arguing, they settled on binging _“Parks and Recreation”_ , which just so happens to be one of Annabeth's favorite shows.

* * *

“Percy, I'm home!” a voice called out just as the front doors clicked shut. Annabeth craned her neck to see a tall, brown-haired woman dressed in a blue polo shirt and khaki pants standing in the doorway. She shot up immediately, realizing that this was probably Percy's mom. The woman gave her a kind smile, “Oh, I didn't realize you had company. I'm Sally.”

“Annabeth. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Jackson,” Annabeth shook her hand.

“Oh, you're Annabeth! Percy's told me a lot about you,” the woman – Sally – smiled. 

Annabeth arched an eyebrow at Percy, “He has?”

She watched as he went red, but Miss Jackson just laughed, “He doesn't shut up about you. But I probably shouldn't say anything more, we don't want him to turn into a crab.”

The two women laughed at Percy's red face, and he just looked embarrassed and mildly annoyed, “Yeah, this is so very really funny, ha-ha, Annabeth we have to go, or we'll be late.”

“Oh, leaving already?” Sally's face dropped a little, but she covered it up, “Well then, I hope you at least ate something.”

“Percy ordered us a pizza. And we found your cookies, Mrs. Jackson, they are amazing!” Annabeth answered, smiling.

“I'm glad you like them, dear, I'll make more for the next time you come,” Sally smiled back, before turning to Percy, “And where are you two planning on going?”

“Nico and Thalia are playing tonight, I promised I'd be there. Annabeth's coming too. That reminds me, can I borrow the car for tonight?” Percy asked.

“Sure, I'm not going anywhere,” Sally shrugged, “But be careful, I don't like these places you go to. And don't be too late.”

“We won't, I'll make sure he comes home at a reasonable time,” Annabeth assured, before she turned to Percy, “Just give me a minute.”

Percy nodded, and Annabeth grabbed her backpack to go and change. She had a baby blue button-up on, and tight jeans, which she wanted to trade for a tight black shirt with elbow sleeves, a velvet red tank top over it, with some holes in it, and ripped jeans. She had actually gone shopping to get some clothes so she would fit in with Percy's crowd a little better. She let her curls down and slipped her shoes back on, stuffing her old clothes into her backpack. She fixed her make up a little and slipped back out of the bathroom.

Percy was waiting for her in the hallway, leaning against a wall, scrolling down his phone. He looked up at her, and grinned that teasing smile of his, “Nice,” he commented quietly, making Annabeth scoff and shove his shoulder. Percy laughed and pulled his jacket on, “See you later mom!”

“Bye Miss Jackson!” Annabeth called out.

“Bye-bye kids!” she heard the reply as the two teens left the apartment.

“Your mom seems nice,” Annabeth commented as they made their way down the stairs.

“She's the best,” Percy said, and even though his back was turned to Annabeth, she could hear the smile in his voice. Percy lead them out and the two slid into his beat-up blue Prius (which Annabeth found hilarious, given Percy's general appearance).

“So, you talk about me?” Annabeth teased, as she buckled up her seatbelt.

“Might've mentioned you once or twice,” Percy shrugged, a smirk on his lips, “I tell my mom everything, especially who I hang out with. Most of the time, at least.”

Percy started up the car and immediately, Annabeth jumped up as the radio started. It probably wasn't the radio either, definitely one of Percy's CDs. She clutched her heart as Percy laughed and turned the music down a little.

“There's CDs in the compartment,” he said as he broke out onto the road. Annabeth obliged, browsing through his unreasonably large collection. In the end, she settled on a Panic! at the Disco CD, and put it into the player. She nodded along slightly and listened to Percy hum under his breath and tap his fingers on the steering wheel more than she actually listened to the song. He hummed very quietly, but even over the music, Annabeth could hear him, and she could immediately tell he had a good singing voice. She wished to hear him sing sometimes, but knowing now why he stopped, she decided not to push it.

“Hey, can I ask you a favor?” Percy turned the music down slightly, his eyes still glued to the road. Annabeth hummed in question, and he continued, “Just, don't tell anyone we were where we were. Don't mention anything about Thalia and Nico playing, or that we hung out there, okay?”

“Sure, but why?” Annabeth knit her eyebrows. It was an unusual request, but not one she would deny him. She also had a reputation of a good girl to uphold, so it was unlikely she would admit to being in a punk bar anyway.

“Well, Nico's dad does not approve of the idea of him spending his days in music. It's an unstable career, and he doesn't want that for him. He thinks Nico quit a few months after we started the whole thing up,” Percy explained, “Not even Hazel knows, and the two of them are extremely close. And Thalia and her parents never exactly had the best relationship, so she doesn't want them prying in on this, so Jason can't know either. And I know your friend Piper and he are dating now, so just, keep this between us five. Besides Thalia and Nico, Reyna, you and I are the only people that know.”

“Alright then, my lips are sealed,” Annabeth shrugged. 

She didn't plan on saying anything to anyone anyway. She was still unsure why she was spending so much time with Percy, why she liked hanging out with him that much, so she hasn't said anything about it yet. She knew her friends wouldn't judge her for hanging out with him, but up until a few weeks ago, she loathed him, and if Annabeth knew teenage behavior, her friends could only read the friendship as something else. Something she and Percy never were and never will be. They're completely different people, too different to work. And she had a reputation to uphold, the image of a perfect girl. Hanging out with the biggest misfits and outlaws in the whole school wouldn't hold well with that.

Annabeth stopped. Why was she thinking like that? She never cared much about her reputation, and she hung out with some of the bigger losers in the school. Why would she hide her friendship with Percy, for heaven's sake? He's her friend too. Better than some she knew a lot longer. She wasn't embarrassed of him, was she? Why would she be? Percy is a good guy. Sweet, funny, protective, caring. He's everything a girl would want in a friend. 

But people don't see him as that. To everyone but her and his closest friends, Percy is a troublemaker. A slacker. A tough dude, who probably spends his days drinking, smoking, and vandalizing stuff, while making out with more girls that New York had to offer. Other than being extremely into him because of his looks, no one in school actually considered him a good guy, because of how he looks. He looks scary, intimidating. Up until recently, Annabeth thought he was in some sort of street gang, getting in fights and all that. And while she knew that wasn't true, others don't. To be fair, Percy does get into fights, but for the right reasons. She witnessed it first hand. 

But people don't know that. They know Percy Jackson as the toughest guy in school, a punk, and misfit in every way possible. Annabeth knew Percy Jackson differently, as the sweet guy who spent hours upon hours to make her a bunch of CDs, without her even asking it of him, or even knowing if she was into that stuff; the guy who wrote beautiful songs and drew mesmerizing pictures; the guy who could make anyone laugh and was kind to everyone; the guy who loved his mother wholeheartedly, kissed her on his way out; the guy who walks her home late at night, and protects her from bastards roaming the streets, praying on girls who walk alone. 

She knew Percy for who he was, but other's didn't. It infuriated her. Everyone should know the true him, not the tough exterior, but the sweet boy inside. She just wasn't sure yet how she would explain all this to her friends without making it sound like something it wasn't, but she'll make sure everyone knows how amazing Percy is.

“Annabeth!” Percy said, louder than needed. Annabeth jumped in her seat, looking over to him with wide eyes. A grin spread across his face, “You okay there? I've called your name, like, three times?”

“Fine, just thinking,” Annabeth tried to brush it off, “What's up?”

“We're here,” Percy laughed and unbuckled his seatbelt. Annabeth shook her head and moved to do the same. She heard the door click open on her side, and saw Percy standing there, grinning. Annabeth rolled her eyes, “Could've done that myself, you know?”

“I know, but that doesn't mean I can't be a gentleman,” he grinned wider as Annabeth stepped out. “I have to go help with the equipment. You wanna come with me, or go wait inside?”

“I'll come, I wanna say hi to Thalia, haven't seen her in ages,” Annabeth shrugged, “Lead the way.”

Percy smirked and started walking away around the corner. Annabeth could see the entrance to the bar already crowding, as Percy lead her around and into a little darker ally. For a moment, a shiver passed through Annabeth as she remembered what happened in an ally very similar to this one. But she was okay, she wasn't alone this time.

There was a big black sedan parked in the ally, right by the open door. Annabeth could see two figures sitting on the trunk in the light of the bar. She recognized them immediately.

“Annabeth!” the girl shouted and dashed forward, almost knocking the blonde off her feet in her giant hug.

“Hey, Thalia! Long time!” Annabeth grinned and hugged her back. She noticed that Thalia was still an inch or so taller than her, which Annabeth absolutely loathed, since she knew the jokes were on the way. But other than that, she was happy to see Thalia. She only got a good look when the two pulled back. Thalia looked the same as ever – black leather jacket, combat boots, ripped jeans with paperclips around the knees for some reason, and chains hanging off on the side of her hip, a black Green Day tank top, spiky black hair with blue highlights, electric eyes, manic grin, and more eyeliner than Annabeth thought was healthy.

“It is so good to see you, Annie!” Thalia laughed and smacked Annabeth's arm.

“Don't call me that, I hate it!” Annabeth whined, but her grin was still there.

“Oh, I know. That's why I do it,” Thalia laughed, “So, came to see the show?”

“Yeah, Percy invited me,” Annabeth gestured to the boy behind Thalia, who seemed to be making conversation with Nico, “Is that okay?”

“Of course it is! For what it's worth, I told him to invite you,” Thalia smirked.

“Oh really?” Annabeth arched an eyebrow. Did Percy bring her here because Thalia wanted it or because he did?

“Well, he suggested it, but he was unsure if you'd say yes, so I made him do it,” Thalia shrugged. Okay, so Percy did want her here. Thalia only made him make it come true.

“Is that so?” Annabeth smirked. There was something she could tease him about, but that's for later, “So what's up with you?”

“Not much,” Thalia shrugged again, “Same old. Just making my way through, ya know. Just playing here and there.”

“So, you like it?” Annabeth asked.

“Yeah, I do. I love it,” Thalia smiled, albeit sadly, “It's fun, but I have to say, it was more fun back when it was all three of us, ya know?”

Annabeth followed her gaze and saw Nico and Percy loading in the speakers. She sighed, “Yeah, he told me about that earlier today. He said you guys played together.”

“We did,” Thalia sighed, “But he had to quit. It was for the better. For himself. I understand. It was very clear that he wasn't doing good, and that remaining in the band was not making things better anymore, but actually worse. I'm glad he quit, he's better now.”

“Yeah,” Annabeth patted Thalia's back, “But hey, at least Nico's still here.”

“Yeah,” Thalia smirked, “He was a little angry when Percy left, but he got over it. He understands why it happened, so he's okay with it.”

“Hey you two,” Annabeth heard Percy call out, “Y'all just gonna stand there or come and help out?”

“ _Y'all?_ “ Thalia teased.

“Don't even ask, I have no idea where it came from, but the point still stands,” he grinned and clapped his hands, “Come on now! Chop-chop!”

Thalia and Annabeth laughed and went to help out. Annabeth grabbed a guitar case from the trunk, and Thalia took the last speaker. They made their way inside, where Percy and Nico were setting up the equipment.

“Hey can someone plug this in?” a voice echoed from the stage, and a cable plug was tossed behind the wall. Seeing as how she was the closest there, Annabeth picked it up and plugged it in.

“Thanks,” the same voice came, and Annabeth recognized it as the voice of Nico di Angelo, who just appeared beside her, a hand extended out to her, “I'm Nico.”

“Annabeth,” the blonde shook his hand.

“Oh, you're friends with Hazel, right?” Nico asked, and Annabeth just nodded, “Percy too, as far as I can tell.”

“Yeah,” Annabeth smiled.

“Well, good to finally meet you. Maybe Kelp Head will shut up about you now,” Nico smirked and wandered off, leaving Annabeth gaping like a fish, with about a million questions swarming through her head. 

“Hey, we're done here, let's go find a spot,” Percy appeared beside her, eyebrows scrunched, “You okay?”

“Just how much do you talk about me, Seaweed Brain?” Annabeth came to, a smirk plastered on her face, deciding to tease him a little. As funny as the thought of Percy Jackson telling his mom and friends about her was, she had to admit, she was a little honored. It probably meant he cared enough to mention her.

“Like, all the time,” Percy laughed and walked off, but Annabeth could've sworn she saw a bit of a blush creeping up on his cheeks. “Come on, Smartass,” he called over his shoulder.

“Kelp Head,” Annabeth muttered and followed him around some corridors, until they finally broke out into the bar.

The place was full. There was seriously a lot of people there. And they all looked like they really belonged there. All leather, chains, eyeliner, spiked collars, and dyed hair in mohawks and stuff. Annabeth had never really seen a bigger group of punks anywhere. She suddenly felt like she couldn't belong there less. She was the poster girl, the perfect girl, standing in the middle of a _punk bar_. She felt extremely blonde right there and then, seeing as how she was the only one she could tell so far. The people with lighter hair were mostly dyed or had highlights. All in all, she had never felt more out of place.

“Relax, the show is about to begin,” Percy leaned down to her ear and whispered, noticing how she probably wouldn't hear him over the loud music playing otherwise. A shiver ran down her spine, but she took his advice and tried to relax. He's there with her, there's nothing to worry about.

“When are Thalia and Nico coming on?” she shouted, standing on her toes so he could hear her.

“Right now,” Percy grinned. 

And he was right. The lights dimmed a little and the music stopped. Cheers erupted in the room, as Thalia and Nico took the stage. Thalia had a guitar slung over her shoulder, and Nico sat down behind his drumset.

“What's up everybody?” Thalia spoke into the mic, resulting in some more cheers, “Thanks a lot for coming down here tonight! We're The Phantom Revolution, and we're gonna play you some songs tonight! Are you ready?!” More cheers, “Let's go!”

She began on the guitar. The people still cheered some as she picked up on the lyrics. Thalia had an amazing voice, which was news to Annabeth. It was high, but in the right way. And she could command the crowd. Annabeth really found herself enjoying the show, what with Percy headbanging next to her, smiling like a madman. She could really tell how proud he was of them, it was all in that crazy smile of his. Annabeth always found it contagious, and couldn't stop herself from smiling too. Not that she wouldn't smile on her own. Far from that actually. She was amazed by how happy Thalia and Nico looked on that stage, singing and playing, she just couldn't stop herself from feeling their joy too. She nodded along to the songs, even sang along to some lyrics she managed to memorize. She heard Percy shouting and cheering and even sometimes singing along, but she couldn't quite make out his voice properly, what with all the sounds around them.

Thalia and Nico had a very rock feel to their music. Thalia's guitar took up most of the instrumental, but Annabeth could clearly hear the drums, and even the bass playback. It had an amazing sound, even if she wasn't really into such heavy music yet. She paid a lot of attention to the lyrics, and she could immediately recognize the songs Percy wrote. She went over some of them back at his place, and he really had a talent for songwriting. They carried a message and a lot of emotion. Annabeth really thought they were just him scribbling down lyrics written by real songwriters, music from more worldwide popular bands, but no, it was all him. He had a knack for storytelling through the lyrics, even if they were dealing with heavy matters. Annabeth avoided asking what they were all about, but from what Percy did tell her, a lot of them dealt with depression. His depression, and different causes for it. 

Annabeth tried not to think about it much. Percy was better now, it was evident. He smiled a lot, and Annabeth could tell the smiles were real. He got over the things that bugged him. He's better now, the songs are just reminiscing.

“Wow!” Thalia's voice carried through the room as the music stopped, “This was an amazing night! Thank you so much for coming down here and listening to us. We hope you had as much fun as we did! If you liked the music, you can buy our CDs at the bar! Thank you all again so much! Good night!”

The lights on the stage went out, and another loud round of cheers carried through. People seemed to really enjoy the music. Not many of them were singing along, but there was definitely some dancing throughout the night. Thalia and Nico evidently weren't all that big, but the crowd seemed to like them.

“Wait here, I'll be right back,” Percy spoke to Annabeth as the music over the speakers picked up again. Annabeth nodded and watched his disappear among the crowd.

She sat alone at their small table, looking around her aimlessly. A few minutes had passed before someone sat down next to her, startling her a little, “So, did you like the show?” Thalia had a manic grin on her face, as if she was high on preforming.

“It was great, Thals! You two really are amazing!” Annabeth praised.

“Thanks,” Thalia smirked, “Where's Percy?”

“No idea. He just told me to wait here and that he'd be right back,” Annabeth shrugged, “Hey, can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” Thalia nodded.

“Does Percy write your songs?”

“You've picked up on that, didn't you?” Thalia replied, a little hesitant, “He writes most of them. A lot of them are a couple years old, songs he wrote back when he was still with us. Percy had been going through a lot back then. He was depressed with what was happening at home, and scared and angry, ya know?”

“Yeah, he told me,” Annabeth nodded solemnly.

“Yeah, well, he had an outlet in songwriting,” Thalia continued, looking down at the table, “Whatever was bugging him, he'd write a song about it, make a catchy tune on the guitar and try and move on. If you listen closely, you can tell which songs he wrote back then, and which are newer. You can see the contrast between _[ Little Girl ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkKL3goX0WY) _ and _[ Party Poison ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iw_-pACvP-A) _. The first one is older, and the second one newer.”

“Yeah, I have to admit, I prefer _Party Poison_ ,” Annabeth smiled, “But, can you just tell me one thing Thals? And please be honest?” Thalia merely nodded, so Annabeth asked the question, “I realize that he had gone through a lot. How bad was it exactly?”

“From what I know, he had never self-harmed and shit, far from it, but Percy had been severely depressed,” Thalia sighed, “His mom even had him talk to a therapist regularly. He stopped going a few months ago, when the doctor declared him clear. He had different outlets for his pain, like music. When he quit, he started drawing.”

“And, he is better now?” Annabeth asked, if a little choked up.

“Yeah,” Thalia smiled sadly, “Yeah, he is.”

“Okay,” Annabeth let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding, “Okay, that's good.”

“Aaand, this will make a fine addition to your new collection, m'lady,” Percy mocked bowing his head a little, and handing Annabeth another CD, one that she assumed was by Thalia and Nico. It was a simple cover, just a black background with a red grenade and white angel wings sprouting from it.

“Why thank you, fine sir,” Annabeth played along, “It is much appreciated.”

“Ugh, quit flirting you two, you'll make me sick,” Thalia groaned.

“We-we're not... flirting,” Annabeth stuttered, feeling a blush creep up on her. She looked back at Percy, seeing him go as red as she did.

“Sure you're not,” Thalia smirked, “Come on, let's go pack up, there's about to be a rave here.”

Annabeth was glad for the distraction. The three of them made their way to the backstage, where they found Nico already packing up. He informed them that the owner of the bar wants them to continue playing there every Friday, which was amazing news. Annabeth and Percy helped load the equipment back into the trunk of Nico's car. Annabeth gave Thalia a hug, with a promise that they'll hang out soon again, just the two of them. She got into the car with Nico, and Annabeth turned and walked back to Percy, who was waiting for her, leaning against the wall. The two of them made way back towards his car, and Percy drove her home. He stopped the car before her front yard, and turned down the radio a little.

“Thanks for coming tonight. I hope you had fun,” he smiled a little, turning so he could look at her.

“I did. Thanks for inviting me,” Annabeth returned the smile with a small nod, “And thank you for the CDs and everything. I really appreciate it.”

“Don't mention it,” he waved her off, “If there's something you like, just say the word and I'll make more of them.”

“Will do,” Annabeth laughed, “Well, anyway, thanks for inviting me tonight. I've had a lot of fun.”

“Thanks for coming,” Percy nodded, “Hey, wanna go skating Sunday? Nico, Thalia, Reyna and I are going.”

“Sure, sounds fun,” Annabeth nodded, “But I am not getting on that skateboard of yours, forget it. I'll just bring my blades.”

“Nuh-uh, I'm gonna teach you how to skate,” Percy laughed, “You can't escape it, Wise Girl.”

“You're impossible,” Annabeth sighed, “See you around, Seaweed Brain.”

“Night,” Percy called out as Annabeth got out of the car.

“Night!” Annabeth replied, and made way down to her front door. She unlocked the door and turned around, waving to Percy who had just started up the car. She saw him wave back and drive away.

Annabeth shook her head and entered, taking off her shoes and made way into the kitchen to grab something to dink. She opened up a capri sun and checked her phone. She had no new calls or texts, which was expected. Annabeth grabbed herself a slice of dried up pizza and sat down in the living room, scrolling through her Instagram feed.

“So, how was the movie?” her dad suddenly appeared in the doorway. Annabeth didn't look up at him.

“Good,” she replied dryly, “It was cool.”

“Did you really go dressed like that? I don't remember you wearing that when you left?” he questioned.

“I changed. What's with all the questions?” Annabeth snarled.

“What, I can't even ask my daughter what she's doing anymore?” he retorted.

“No, I'm not saying that, I'm saying that you never did before, so what's this about?” Annabeth turned off her phone and glared at him.

“Nothing, I just want to know what you're doing,” he put his hands up in surrender, “What's with the attitude?”

“What attitude?” Annabeth played dumb.

“Come on Annabeth, don't do this,” her dad pleaded, “I just want to talk.”

“Why? You never did before?” Annabeth sighed.

“Can you blame me for wanting to now?” he sat down opposite of her.

“No, I just have a feeling that you want something, so spit it out so I can go to bed,” Annabeth growled. She wasn't really sure why she was being so hostile to her dad, but she didn't really care much either.

“Okay, fine, if you don't want to talk, fine,” her dad stood up, clearly upset, “We're having lunch with Helen this Sunday. Things are going great between us, and we thought it's time you two meet. Her sons are going to be there too.”

“That's great and all,” Annabeth sighed, “But sorry, I can't come, I have plans for Sunday.”

“Well cancel them,” her dad said, “We're having lunch with Helen.”

“Why would I cancel my plans to do something you want? You never cancel your plans to do something with me,” Annabeth attacked.

“Because I am your father and I said so!” he shouted.

“Well maybe I don't want to go!” Annabeth snapped.

“Well you will! We're having lunch with Helen and her sons this Sunday at five! End of discussion! And I don't want to see this kind of attitude from you again, young lady, or I swear I will ground you!” her dad shouted and walked out of the room, leaving a fuming Annabeth behind.

“Fine!” Annabeth screamed and stormed up to her room. She quickly changed into her pajamas and took off the little make-up she had on. Before she slid under her covers, Annabeth grabbed one of the CDs Percy made her, and slipped it into her little stereo. Fall Out Boy filled her room as Annabeth grabbed her phone and quickly texted Percy.

**Annabeth**  
_Hey, I'm sorry, I can't come this Sunday. My dad wants me to come have lunch with him and his new girlfriend. Can't get out of it :(_

Percy's reply came shortly after.

**Percy**  
_That sux. Nvm, we'll reschedule. Have fun lmao XD_

**Annabeth**  
_I doubt I will. Still, we'll go some other time. Maybe I'll even let you teach me how to skate to make it up to you ;)_

**Percy**  
_Oooh, I'm holding you to that, Wise Girl_

**Annabeth**  
_You're impossible smh. Night, Seaweed Brain_

**Percy**  
_Sleep well, Smartass_

Annabeth laughed a little at his name-calling and turned her phone off. She turned the music down slightly, and drifted off into blissful sleep, the sound of music filling her dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, there's that. A little backstory for our Percy.
> 
> As I said before, I hope you like the chapter, and the overall story so far. I wanted to thank you all for your kind comments, the kudos, and for just giving this story a chance. It really means a lot to me. 
> 
> There's not much left of this story, maybe another five or so chapters until the end. I was wondering if any of you would like another Percabeth story like this? I mean, not completely like this, but another High School AU and stuff. I have a bunch more ideas, and I'd really love to know if anyone would be interested in reading them. Of course, if there's anything you'd like to see, any headcanons, any prompts, any ficlets or oneshots, feel free to request it on tumblr (username: AstraldaO602). 
> 
> Okay, that's all for now! Again, thank you all for reading this story! Love you guys! Until next Sunday :D


	7. Family Fights, Sleepovers, And Bestest Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annabeth and her father have lunch with his new girlfriend, Helen. But when Helen starts causing trouble for Annabeth, and speaking badly about her friend Percy Jackson, Annabeth suddenly snaps, feeling the need to defend her friend. She storms out of the house after a bad fight with her dad, and goes to find Percy. After she tells him what happened, Percy offers her a place to stay for the night, which Annabeth accepts gratefully, feeling incredibly lucky for having such an amazing person in her life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy fuck, this took long to write. This chapter is over 13 000 words long! I'm sorry, I personally think it's a little too long, but I just didn't want to cut it in the middle, I wanted all this in. So yeah, it's a little long, but I'm happy with how it turned out. Also, it's up sooner than usual, because I'm at home all day and have nothing better to do than write, so the updates might be a little faster than usual.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy the chapter, and I'll see you on Sunday for our regular update! :D

Annabeth sat in her room, just vibing to one of the many CDs Percy made her. She nodded along to some Queen songs as she touched up her make-up. She enjoyed the classic rock sound of the band, but then again, it was only logical, since the band played at the time it was in. She actually spent most of her weekend going through the music library Percy created for her. While she undoubtedly enjoyed Panic! at the Disco the most, she actually found herself really enjoying some of the heavier stuff, the post-hardcore bands she knew Percy adored. She loved the lyrics to the songs, and she actually found the instrumental to them to be actually extremely catchy. She had some songs stuck in her head for hours, despite the fact that she was listening to another.

But right now, not even music could really help her mood. She sat at her small vanity table, touching up her mascara and lipgloss, in a burgundy colored button-up shirt with the sleeves carefully rolled up to her elbows, black jeans, and simple black shoes. Her hair was pulled together in a loose fishtail braid, which took a whole hour to make – Annabeth kept messing up, and her hair never really was the most cooperative. She really didn't want to have this lunch with her dad's new girlfriend and stuff, so she wasn't exactly the cheeriest at the moment, but she had no way out of it. As much as she would rather be out with Percy, Thalia, Nico, and Reyna, skating at the park, or chillin' at Piper's, she had to do this. 

Truth be told, Annabeth felt bad about behaving the way she did the other night. Yes, she was annoyed by her dad, but he really didn't deserve such treatment, no matter how annoyed she was. She tried apologizing the next morning, but her dad seemed to be back to giving her the cold shoulder and keeping his attention on his work, even though it was Saturday. She suddenly remembered why she acted the way she did, but she decided to be civil during the dinner regardless of how annoyed she was or how much she did not want to be there.

She wasn't really sure what it was, but there was just something about her dad dating someone, paying attention to someone that just didn't sit well with her. One could maybe say she was jealous. In all honesty, she was, and with right. She was his daughter, and he barely paid attention to her. It was unfair that he just starts bringing in new people in her life without first building some sort of a relationship with her. But it wasn't exactly like there was anything she could do. She couldn't just go up to her dad and demand he broke off whatever it is he had going on with this Helen, and she never really was successful at trying to create a relationship between them. She just had to sit through and endure.

Annabeth put away her make-up, sprayed on some light perfume, and made sure everything was neatly placed in its spot, in case this woman decided to take a tour of the house and end up there. She turned off the CD player and placed the Queen CD back into the wallet Percy had given her. So far, she found no songs or bands she didn't like, and that's a fact she liked very much. Annabeth cracked a smile and craned the window open, exiting her bedroom with just her cellphone in her back pocket.

The blonde padded down the stairs and into the living room. She flopped down onto the couch, in the room she freshly cleaned that morning. She also took the duty of actually cooking the food. Her dad was that much of a hermit that he obviously forgot to make the food for a lunch he organized, or clean the space needed. It was sad, but Annabeth had it covered. She turned on VH1, just to have something playing when the guests arrived and unlocked her phone. She had a Snap from Percy. She smiled a little and opened it.

It was a picture of the skate park. In the background, she could see the cement pit and little obstacles the skaters used to do stunts. The main focus of the photo was actually Percy, who looked a little different than usual. He wore a black shirt and a plaid flannel, along with ripped jeans. His hair blew behind him as whoever took the picture managed to capture the moment in which he was flying up into the air from the pit, gripping his skateboard in one hand, and the other one making a peace sign. He was grinning like a madman, probably from the adrenaline of the whole thing. There was a sticker that said _Sunday!_ in bright orange letters, along with his Bitmoji character making devil's horns, and a caption that read: _You're missing all the fun here, and the fun is missing you xx_.

Annabeth laughed and shook her head, clicking the screen to open another Snap he sent her. It took her a moment to focus on the photo, as her mind wandered off to the fact that he put two x's in the caption, which were in translation kisses. She knew it meant nothing, but it still made her heart flutter for some reason. She scolded herself mentally for such thinking, there's no reason for her heart to flutter over a meaningless text. She focused on the Snap. This one had Thalia laying on her back in the background, a little blurry, as the focus of the photo was Percy's knee, which was bleeding bad. There was another caption: _Okay, so that stunt caused this... #pro_. Annabeth shook her head in exasperation. At this point, she knew all too well that Percy did stupid stuff for kicks, and that there really wasn't much she could do about it.

The blonde flipped around on the couch, and snapped a photo of the New York skyscape through the window behind her. She put a little caption too: _You're such a moron, Seaweed Brain smh_ , and sent the Snap. His reply came shortly after, he must have been on his phone.

**Percy**   
_Part of my charm, Wise Girl ;)_

**Annabeth**   
_Oh quit messing around. Are you okay though?_

**Percy**   
_Peachy XD_

**Percy**   
_Jk, I'm fine, I've had a lot worse tbh_

**Percy**   
_God this would be so much more fun if u were here_

**Annabeth**   
_I know I'm the life of the party, but you'll have to manage without me this once_

**Percy**   
_Yeah, but it's nowhere near as cool ;)_

_He's such a flirt_ , Annabeth thought with a small smile. She knew he didn't mean anything by it really, it's just how the two of them are. She really wouldn't call their dynamic as flirting – but according to Thalia the other night, she would – Annabeth always thought of it more as banter, meaningless teasing. She'd never flirt with Percy Jackson as a means to initiate some sort of a relationship or something, nuh-uh, no chance. A few weeks ago, that would probably be because she didn't like him, but now it's because they're friends. Besides, their personalities were too different to work. Not that Annabeth would try to make them work, don't get the wrong idea.

Annabeth was snapped out of her thoughts by the ringing of the bell. She heard her father call out that he was coming to open, and she quickly snatched her phone to type out a quick response to Percy, as to not leave him on read. As much as she would rather just spend the afternoon texting with Percy, daughter/host duty calls.

**Annabeth**   
_Sorry, the guests are here, I gtg. Ttyl_

She didn't wait for a response, she just shoved her phone in her pocket and jumped off the couch, standing by her dad, ready to greet her guests.

„I hope we'll see no behavior from the other day tonight,“ he said, pointing a finger at her. Annabeth rolled her eyes, not offering any kind of response other than that. Her dad sighed and opened the door.

Annabeth sized the woman up and down in a nanosecond. She seemed nice enough. About her dad's age, so early forties. She had long brown hair pulled into a high ponytail, big brown eyes, and plump lips. She wasn't very tan, but she also wasn't pale. She was tall, but that was probably because of the abnormally high heels. She didn't really understand how the woman could walk in those, but said nothing. She wore a simple knee-length floral skirt and a tight black sleeveless shirt. Behind her stood two identical boys, both about ten years old, with short curly brown hair and the eyes the same as their mother, wearing matching white shirts and jeans. If not for their mischievous smiles – which has kind of the same chaotic energy as Percy's – Annabeth might have thought them to be cute. But something told her they were little troublemakers, in the same way Percy was.

„Hello, Freddie!“ Annabeth immediately picked up on the overdone, unnatural British accent as the woman stepped in and gave Annabeth's dad a big hug, before turning to Annabeth, „You must be Annabeth,“ she put on a smile that Annabeth immediately knew was forced, and extended her hand with long red nails, „I'm Helen. Pleased to finally meet you.“

„Likewise, ma'am,“ Annabeth put on a small smile and shook her hand.

„Oh, this is Bobby,“ she said pointing to the boy on the left, „And this is Matthew. Boys, this is Fredrick and his daughter Annabeth.“

Annabeth mentally made the note to identify the boy with the small scar on his nose as Bobby, and the one without it as Matthew as she politely nodded to them.

„Come in, please,“ her dad gestured to the living room, „Dinner is ready and waiting.“

Annabeth politely stepped aside as her father lead the three guests to the dining room, where she had carefully set the table a couple of hours before. There was a cheerful bouquet of yellow flowers in the center of the red tablecloth, as well as the best plates and utensils her father and she owned. Annabeth watched as her dad pulled out a chair for Helen and she gracefully sat down. Annabeth took a seat beside her father, and the two boys sat between her and Helen. She wasn't really receiving the best vibes from the woman, but she said nothing until she actually had proof of her bad reaction.

„Anything to drink, my dear?“ her father offered, „We've got wine, soda, juice, whatever you like.“

„Wine would be amazing, honey, thank you,“ she smiled and put her hand over Fredrick's. Her dad returned it and moved to get up, but Annabeth intercepted him.

„I've got it,“ she forced a smile. In truth, she wasn't trying to be helpful, she just didn't want her gagging at Helen's flirting to be noticed, so in a way, she was running. She turned to the woman, „Red or white?“

„Red, please, and thank you,“ she smiled, though there was something in it that unsettled Annabeth, „Oh, and could you get some juice for the boys while you're at it?“

„No problem,“ Annabeth smiled and practically ran to the kitchen. Anything to get out of there. She reached into the small wine compartment and pulled out a bottle of red wine and grabbed three glasses. She usually wasn't one to drink, but she thought why not. A glass wouldn't hurt. And honestly, she couldn't take the flirting fully sober. A glass of wine probably wouldn't hit her too bad, but she wasn't really that tough when it came to liquor. She wasn't a lightweight either, not to be mistaken. Annabeth poured three glasses, before grabbing some soda for the boys. She checked her phone quickly before leaving the kitchen, while she had the cover of walls to do so. She had a text from Percy.

**Percy**   
_Do tell how it goes. Ttyl_

Annabeth snickered and quickly snapped a picture of a glass of wine, sending it to him with a caption: _This is the first reaction. I'm starting to drink X(_

She didn't wait for a response. He's probably still somewhere out with friends, having crazy fun while she had to suffer in here. Annabeth took a deep breath and put all the drinks on a tray so it's easier to carry, along with the bottle of wine, in case anyone needed a refill. She carefully took it up and carried back out into the dining room. Her dad and Helen seemed to be flirting, and the boys were on their phones, probably playing some sort of game, oblivious to what was happening. She set everyone's drinks on the table, receiving a weird look from her dad when she set a glass of wine before herself.

„Aren't you a little young to be drinking?“ Helen asked in a sickly sweet voice that reminded Annabeth of Drew Tanaka a little.

„It's just a glass of wine, on special occasions like this,“ she smiled in reply. She really didn't want to talk to this woman.

„You don't drink when you're with friends?“ her dad questioned, eyes squinted slightly.

Annabeth rolled her eyes sarcastically, „Of course not, who do you think me for?“

„What about that Percy fellow?“ he asked.

„What about him?“ Annabeth tried not to choke as she spoke. She wasn't really interested in talking about Percy of all people with her dad in front of strangers.

„Is he your boyfriend?“ one of the boys suddenly snapped up, grinning.

Annabeth's eyes widened in shock. She felt heat rush into her cheeks, which were probably taking on a red color. „What? N-no. No! No, never! He's just a friend!“

„Well you do seem to be spending a lot of time with him,“ her dad urged.

„No! Gods, no, Percy and I are just friends!“ Annabeth defended.

„So you don't have a boyfriend?“ Helen snorted mockingly, „A girl your age probably should.“

 _And a woman your age should be married, and yet..._ Annabeth wanted to say it out loud, but decided against it. She opened and closed her mouth repeatedly a few times, unsure of what to say. „Well, I never really cared much about dating. I focus mostly on school.“

„So, not the most sociable,“ Helen smirked, turning to her dad, „You ought to make her more sociable, you don't want your daughter to be a nerd, do you?“

Annabeth's dad said nothing, just stared at the empty plate before himself. But Annabeth didn't remain quiet, „Well I am sociable, I have friends, but that doesn't mean I can't focus on school.“

„Oh, of course, sweetie,“ Helen grinned, „Studies are important.“

That's pretty much how the rest of the evening went. Helen would ask Annabeth a question and then when Annabeth moved to answer, she would offer an answer of her own, whether about Annabeth or herself. Annabeth's dad said nothing about how Helen was constantly shutting her out, which enraged Annabeth. When Helen wasn't busy trying to humiliate or ignore Annabeth, she would flirt with him in the most disgusting way possible. She complimented the food, thinking Fredrick – or Freddie as she called him – made it, and when Annabeth said she did, Helen named at least half a dozen things that were bad or wrong about it. 

Bobby and Matthew left to go play after dinner, and came back down with Annabeth's CD wallet, asking what it is.

„Oh, it's just some CDs,“ Annabeth shrugged, taking the wallet from them.

„I didn't know you were into music,“ her dad frowned.

„I wasn't until recently,“ Annabeth replied, looking down at the black wallet in her hands with a smile, „But Percy got me into this stuff. He made me all these CDs the other day. It's good stuff.“

Bobby and Matthew ran back away to play, leaving Annabeth with the adults. Helen snatched the wallet from her, ignoring Annabeth's protests. Her dad remained quiet though. Helen flipped through the CDs, „Punk-rock, huh? You ought to intervene, Freddie,“ she smiled sickly sweet at Annabeth's dad, „If this Percy fella is a punker, he's a bad influence. We wouldn't want little Annie getting caught up with the wrong crowd.“

„Actually,“ Annabeth hissed, „Percy's a really great guy. Yeah, he's a punker, but he's also beyond kind and sweet. No offense, Helen, but you really can't speak about my friends like that without having met them,“ Annabeth challenged, „Percy's an amazing guy, and a beyond great friend of mine.“

Annabeth watched as her dad was about to scold her for the attitude, which she didn't care about much. Annabeth could keep quiet with Helen walking over her, but she was not going to talk bad about one of the best people in Annabeth's life, if not _the best_. She doesn't know Percy, and she has no right to speak poorly of him. She was about to defend him from her dad's scolding, but at that moment, Bobby and Matthew came back into the dining room with Annabeth's architecture sketchbook and her best designs ripped out and in half. Annabeth immediately shot up, snatching it from them. „Fuck!“ she shouted, „No no no no!“

„Annabeth language!“ her dad scolded, a horrified expression on his face.

„Fuck language now, these were for my college application!“ Annabeth screamed.

„Well now, nevermind, you can draw new ones,“ Helen shrugged, a bittersweet smile on her face.

„I spent weeks on these!“ Annabeth protested.

„Well, boys will be boys,“ Helen smirked and took the torn sketchbook from Annabeth, flipping through it, „Well, they weren't even that good. You can draw new ones.“ 

Annabeth's eyes widened in shock and she snaped. She looked between her dad and Helen, snatching her sketchbook back. Not good? Not good?! Those designs were everything! And not for some skyscraper with windows for walls. No those were monumental, incorporating elements of Ancient Greek and Roman architecture, and later any other style she knew.

„Are you seriously going to allow this?!“ Annabeth shouted at her dad. He looked at her quizzically, which only fueled Annabeth's anger, „Are you kidding me?! Your little girlfriend has been bashing me in all evening, but I kept quiet for your sake, and now they rip my best designs, and you're just gonna stay quiet?! Wow! _Wow!“_

„Annabeth, that's enough!“ he finally said, standing up and glaring at her, „I don't know where all this attitude came from, but this is not how I raised you!“

Then Annabeth snapped. He raised her?! He abandoned her all her life! Neglected her at every turn! She raised herself! And he dare defend Helen and make Annabeth the villain here? Not a chance!

„You raised me?! You abandoned me!“ she shouted, „Ever since mom left, I had been alone! And now you're gonna make me the villain here?!“

„I think you need to cool off a little,“ Helen smirked.

„You stay out of this!“ Annabeth growled, pointing a finger at Helen.

„That's enough, Annabeth!“ her dad finally came over to her and grabbed her forearm, leading her out into the hallway, „What is going on with you?! This is not how you usually behave.“

„You don't know me or how I behave!“ Annabeth snarled, „Do you really expect me to just sit down and let her walk over me like that? Fat chance!“

„What has she done to you?“ her dad crossed his arms.

„She has been humiliating me all evening!“ Annabeth cried, „She's been impugning everything I said since she came in! And now those two rip my whole life's work?! And you're defending them?!“

„That's enough,“ her dad finally stopped her, „I don't know what she's done to make you act this way, or why all of a sudden you're behaving like this, but I will not stand for it. Go to your room and cool off. When you're ready to apologize to Helen, then you can come down.“

„I'll apologize to that bitch when the sun burns out of the sky!“ Annabeth snarled.

„That's enough, young lady!“ her dad shouted, „I don't know what's gotten into you, but ever since you've been hanging around that Percy guy, you've been snappy and impolite! Helen's right, punkers are never a good influence, and you're proof of that! I don't want to see you with him ever again, am I clear?!“

Oh no he didn't! He can shout at Annabeth all he wants, but no one, _no one_ , is going to speak about Percy like that. She won't let them. Not now, not ever. Especially not her father who knows nothing about Percy. He has no right to tell her who she can or can't see. She's known Percy just a few weeks, and she was closer with him than she ever was with her father. He was practically a stranger to her. And she will not let a stranger tell her what to do.

„You have absolutely no right to tell me what I can or can't do!“ she screamed, „Percy's the best guy in this whole world! Better than you a million times, and then a million times that! He's the best influence in this whole city! He's the sweetest, kindest guy in the whole universe, and I will not stand by and let anyone talk about him like that! You can shout at me all you want, you can ignore and neglect me all you want, you can defend that witch of a woman for walking over me as much as you want, I don't care, but no one, and I mean this, no one in this whole world will speak badly of Percy Jackson, so long as I'm alive! Yes, he's a punker, and yes, he can be rowdy and cause trouble, but he's the best person I've ever met! And I won't let you, or anyone else, speak poorly of him!“ She shouted at the top of her lungs, glaring at him. 

Her anger rose with each word. She wasn't sure where exactly it came from, but when Helen said that about Percy, something inside Annabeth clicked and she went off. Deep in her heart, she knew she cared about Percy more than anything else. She felt the sudden need to protect and defend him from every bad word, and that's exactly what she did, and what she plans to do whenever someone dared utter a bad word about him. Over her dead body. Her dad finally looked away, flinching under her gaze. Annabeth shook her head. She didn't know her dad's such a wimp, but she also wasn't exactly surprised. She grabbed her black leather jacket and pulled it on, grabbing her keys and some money.

„Where do you think you're going? We're not done talking here.“ She felt him grab her arm again.

Annabeth spun around, glaring at him again, „Well I am! I'm not staying in this house as long as she's here. And you and I,“ she hissed, gesturing between them, „We will talk when you grow a spine and for once stand up for me! And don't you dare ever again utter a bad word about someone I care about, especially about Percy Jackson, or you'll see just how bad my attitude can get!“

She did not wait for a response. Instead, she just ripped her arm out of his grasp and slammed the door behind her. She was walking down the path of her front yard, thinking what to do now, when she heard the door open behind her.

„Annabeth! Annabeth, wait!“ her dad called out. 

Annabeth did not wait, nor did she turn. She just stepped out onto the sidewalk and marched away down the street. It was just around 7, so the sun was just setting as she rounded the corner, out of the view of her house. She leaned against a wall of a small shop, thinking. She was still fuming and panting with anger. No one will speak poorly about Percy Jackson in front of her. No one. She wasn't sure where this sudden protectiveness came from, but she didn't care. She knew for a while now that she cared about Percy deeply, ever since that night when he saved her. She just never knew she could get this angry over him. To be fair, she was never in such a position, but she knew even before that if anyone tried to speak about him how her dad and Helen have now, she would explode. And explode she did. But she didn't care. She was proud of having stood up for herself and her friend like that.

She just stood there, trying to calm her anger and thinking about what she should do now. She could call Piper, ask if she could stay there for the night. Maybe she could talk to Piper, maybe she could help her out. She really had no idea why she started acting so hostile towards her dad recently, but she didn't care. 

As Annabeth was thinking about what to do, she felt her phone buzz in her pocket. She pulled it out and looked at the screen and realized that she had spent all that time thinking about the person she knew would be the best to see right then. Percy, who had sent her another snap, was exactly the person she needed at the moment. Despite how angry she was, Annabeth smiled, opening the snap. It showed Thalia and Nico wrestling on the ground, with a description that read: _CATFIGHT!!!!_

Annabeth chuckled. No matter how grim things were, Percy somehow always managed to make her smile. She really loved him for that. He's a great guy, and she was sad that more people didn't know that. He's kind and sweet and funny; everything a girl could wish for in a guy.

 _Not to mention incredibly attractive,_ she thought.

Whoa. Where did that come from? She did not just say Percy Jackson was attractive. Well, it's not like this is the first time she thought it, but it was different now that they were friends. They were just that... friends. Percy would never go for a girl like her. And more importantly, Annabeth would never go for a guy like him. Right?

She shook away that thought, moving onto a new one. Before she knew it, she was dialing Percy's number. If there really was anyone she needed right then, it was him. Percy always managed to cheer her up, make her smile, see things clearer. He was easy to talk to, and he was a good listener. Even though she didn't really understand it, Annabeth realized that right then, she didn't want to be with anyone else, but him. Not Piper, not her dad, not Hazel; only Percy. She snapped over how people talked about him, and only he could calm her at that moment.

She waited for him to pick up, trying not to think too hard about anything. Her heart beat faster in her chest with each beep. She was just about to hang up when the beeping stopped and his voice carried over the line.

„Shut up!“ he shouted at someone, and it sounded as if his mic was covered, or at least distant, „Hey Beth. What's up?“ he greeted cheerfully, and Annabeth could practically see his smile over the line. It instantly made her feel better, but just briefly.

„Hey,“ Annabeth sighed without realizing that he probably heard it. Not to mention the exhaustion in her voice. She really was tired of all that happened.

„Annabeth? What's going on? What's wrong?“ he asked, his concern carrying over the line. Despite herself, Annabeth smiled. She could almost picture him scrunching his eyebrows in that cute way he always did when he was worried.

„Nothing, nothing, I just...“ she wasn't sure what to tell him really. Does she say what happened or not?

„What's going on, Wise Girl? Talk to me?“ he pleaded.

„I just... I just needed to hear your voice,“ Annabeth sighed, choking back a sob. She did not just say that! Well, she meant it, but she didn't mean to say it like that. Before she could say anything stupid like that again, she blurted out some excuse, „I'm sorry, you're with Thalia and Nico, I'll leave you alone, forget I said anything-“

„Wise Girl, calm down,“ he chuckled over the line, „Talk to me. What happened? How did the dinner go?“

„Bad,“ Annabeth sighed simply, but decided not to talk about it. At least not over the phone, „Never mind that, what are you guys doing?“ she asked, trying to cheer up a little.

„Nuh-uh, don't change the subject,“ Percy said, „Tell me what happened.“

„Well, long story short, my dad's girlfriend is evil and we had a big fight and I kinda stormed out,“ Annabeth blurted out in one breath. She shut herself up and waited a few seconds for him to say anything.

„I'm coming to pick you up,“ he finally said, his voice deep and determined, „Where are you?“

„Oh, Percy, you don't have to, it's fine, I'll just go to Piper's-“

„Not happening, Smartass,“ he chuckled over the line, „You need a cheer up and I'm the expert at that. Tell me where you are.“

„I'm just around the corner from my house,“ Annabeth sighed, smiling thinly to herself, happy that she was going to see him, „Listen, you don't need to come get me, I'll just come to you.“

„You sure?“ he asked.

„Yeah, just tell me where you are?“ Annabeth replied.

„There's a small skatepark about three blocks east from Goode,“ Percy said, „Can you make it there?“

„Yeah, sure,“ Annabeth nodded, „I'll be there.“

„Okay, I'll be waiting,“ Percy laughed. Annabeth let out a huff with a smile, as his voice carried over the line again, „See ya in a bit.“

„Percy,“ Annabeth called out before he hung up. She heard the line still open, and smiled, „Thank you.“

„Don't thank me yet, Wise Girl,“ she could practically see the smirk on his face.

„Seaweed Brain,“ she mocked and heard his laugh faintly as he hung up. Annabeth laughed to herself and tucked her phone back into her pocket. She hailed a yellow cab and got in, giving the driver the address. She leaned against the window, watching cars whiz by her as she thought.

She really had no idea why she snapped like that back at home. Sure, she had been under a lot of stress lately, what with her studies piling up over one another, and her friends always calling her out to hang, but having to turn it down because she either had homework, work, or had already made plans to hang with Percy. She had to admit, she did feel a little guilty for just ditching them like that all the time, but she just couldn't feel that guilt when she was with Percy. He was reckless and he knew how to have fun, and Annabeth loved spending time with him.

It was weird actually how much she loved it. She found herself constantly itching to drop everything, give him a call, and go hang with him. All her worries seemed to melt away when they were out together, and she actually found herself smiling like an idiot all day after that. And she just loved him for dropping everything and coming to meet her when she occasionally just acted on impulse. And she loved him for always being there for her, ready to listen, like now. She really just loved having him in her life, it all seemed that bit brighter.

The cab pulled just around the corner of the skatepark. Annabeth handed the driver the money and stepped out. The sun had set already, but the place was nicely lit. She had never been there, so she found herself glancing around. There was a big pit with obstacles of skaters, steps like bleachers covered in graffiti. The occasional lamppost enlighted the place surrounded by trees.

She spotted Percy, Nico, and Thalia on the bleachers, sitting with their backs to her. She saw a sixpack of beer by them, with a few bottles on the ground. Their skateboards were discarded by them, as Thalia and Nico seemed to bicker over something. Annabeth's eyes immediately latched onto Percy, who was sitting a little further from them, shoulders up, and gazing right before himself. 

„Hey guys,“ Annabeth greeted quietly. Thalia and Nico looked up to her.

„Hey Annie,“ Thalia smiled.

„Yo,“ Nico offered her a fist-bump, one that Annabeth awkwardly accepted. He then turned to Percy who hadn't seen Annabeth come yet. He was frowning as he stared before himself. Nico laughed, „Perce! Your girlfriend's here!“

Percy's head snapped over to them. His eyes widened when he saw Annabeth there. His shoulders relaxed a little, the tension leaving him as a grin appeared on his face. He looked kinda handsome in that skater attire – grey shirt with a black unbuttoned flannel over it, ripped jeans, and Vans. She saw his biker jacket discarded on the steps above Thalia. Percy jumped up and casually jogged over, the grin not leaving his face.

Annabeth immediately flushed. She stuttered, „I'm not- we're not- we're not together...“

„Yet,“ Thalia chuckled.

Percy shoved her lightly before turning to Annabeth, „Hey.“

„Hi,“ Annabeth smiled shyly. Percy grabbed her wrist and pulled her down to sit beside him, right below Thalia and Nico.

„So, are you gonna tell me what happened?“ he asked after a few seconds in silence.

„Well,“ Annabeth sighed and began telling the tale, „Remember the other day when my dad asked where I was going?“ he nodded, remembering how she pulled him away from the view of her house, „Well, we've kinda been on edge since, and we had that little fight that evening, when he told me I had to meet his girlfriend.“

„Let me guess, the woman's a bitch?“ Thalia frowned.

„Major,“ Annabeth shook her head, „She walked into the house like she owned it and spent the past two hours belittling me about everything.“

„What did she say?“ Percy asked, his eyebrows scrunched, just how she imagined it over the phone just ten minutes ago. 

„Well..“ Annabeth started explaining everything from the beginning of the evening to the moment she arrived at the park, leaving out, of course, everything she said about Percy there. She didn't need to inflate his ego, and besides, it was embarrassing, so she left out the talk about the CD wallet and all that she said about him to her dad. Percy, Nico, and Thalia listened intently, rarely interrupting her with a remark about Helen. Annabeth kept her eyes on the ground as she explained everything that happened, but she could feel their gaze on her. After a while, she came to a conclusion of her story, „That's when I called you guys, and you know the rest.“

There was a brief silence after she finished. Annabeth looked up at Thalia and Nico, both of whom had dark frowns on their faces, but it was nothing compared to Percy. His shoulders were tensed, and he was staring at her, but almost like he couldn't really see her. His eyes were clouded over by the shadow falling from his hair. His jaw was clenched tight and so were his fists. There was a stormy glint in his bright green eyes, which now looked absolutely furious.

Annabeth stared right back at him, but then his expression softened, and the shadow moved away from his eyes, now soft and bright as she liked them. It was like he was broken out of whatever trance he was in. He gently took her hand in his, and Annabeth had to push away the thought of how perfectly they seemed to fit together. He gazed into her eyes in a way that was sincere and soft, and his lips formed a thin smile.

„Wise Girl, I'm so sorry,“ he whispered, squeezing her hand a little, „For what it's worth, you were right to stand up for yourself like that. Never let anyone walk over you like that, you hear me?“ Annabeth nodded weakly. „And no offense, but your dad's a fucking idiot if he's just going to let this happen. He's a moron if he doesn't see just how fucking amazing you are and doesn't apologize to you and breaks things off with that bitch.“

Annabeth let out a small laugh and smiled at him. Percy's lips formed a full grin, one that showed off his pearly white teeth which seemed to shine even in the darkness they were in.

„Thank you,“ Annabeth whispered to him, „I really appreciate this.“

Percy's smile widened, if that was possible, and he gently pulled her into a tight hug. Annabeth wrapped her hands around his shoulders and unconsciously buried her head in the crook of his neck.

„Ew, get a room you two,“ Thalia kicked Percy in the side. Annabeth heard him chuckle against her shoulder and felt his body vibrate with it. All too soon, they pulled away. 

Percy flashed her a cheeky, joking smile. „Oh, and of course, if you ever need me to come over and teach anyone a lesson, I'm just a phone call away.“

Annabeth laughed, „I'll keep it in mind.“

„Us too, for the record,“ Thalia smirked,.

„Yeah, I'm always up for a good ass-kicking,“ Nico added.

„Thanks, guys,“ Annabeth laughed again. 

Percy then stood up and clapped his hands together. „Well, Annabeth needs a cheering up! We've got beer and cigars, if you're into that kind of stuff, and of course, we've got me to clown around.“

The four of them laughed. Thalia turned to Annabeth, „Seriously, you want a beer?“

Annabeth thought about it. Oh, what the hell, she already had a glass of wine. One beer wouldn't hurt. She shrugged, „Sure, why not.“

Thalia reached over and grabbed a bottle, opening it for her on the concrete below and handing it to the blonde. Annabeth took a sip and grimaced, „This is disgusting.“

„Yeah, you get used to it,“ Thalia shrugged.

„Just don't get her drunk, Thals,“ Percy smirked as he ignited his lighter. Nico pulled out a cigarette and offered them around. Thalia already had one in hand, Annabeth declined politely, and Percy shrugged and took one from him. He brought it to his lips and lit it, and then handed the lighter to Nico.

„Want a whiff?“ Percy smirked as he blew smoke into Annabeth's face. She frowned and fanned it away.

„I think I'll pass,“ she said, squinting her eyes.

„Suit yourself, goodie,“ he teased. Annabeth huffed and took another sip of her beer. Thalia was right, you do get used to it. Percy chuckled beside her and pulled out his phone, going through some photos. „Hey di Angelo,“ he called out, moving his phone so all four of them could see, „You look good here.“

Thalia and Percy howled with laughter as Nico's face went bright red. Annabeth chuckled a little at the photo, which showed Nico gazing happily at a Happy Meal before him. 

„Jackson!“ he shouted and shot up. Percy was on his feet in seconds, running away as fast as his feet could carry him, straight into the empty skate pit, still roaring with laughter. Nico ran after him, his beer forgotten and cigar tossed aside. Thalia and Annabeth sat there, laughing at the two. Percy was taller and had longer legs, so he managed to keep out of Nico's grasp, but being the Seaweed Brain that he is, the idiot tripped and dropped his phone. Nico smiled triumphantly as he deleted the photo. 

Percy groaned and came back to sit beside Annabeth, leaning between her and Thalia and Nico trudged back up to them. He whispered so only the two of them could hear him, „I've got a copy.“

Thalia laughed wholeheartedly, and Annabeth couldn't help but laugh at Percy's mock-innocent expression when Nico came back up and eyed him suspiciously. Percy chuckled and scooted closer to Annabeth, „Care to share?“ he asked, gesturing to her beer.

„Help yourself,“ she handed him the bottle. Percy smirked and took a big gulp before handing it back to Annabeth, who took a gulp too. She didn't really mind that much sharing the bottle with Percy, she was just happy to be there. The two of them downed the bottle pretty quickly, but by then, the group was out of beer. They spent a few more hours just clowning around. Annabeth laughed as Percy cracked terrible jokes, Thalia and Nico bickered and wrestled on the ground. 

It was around 10:30 when Annabeth decided that it was time to head home. She was sure that Percy, Nico, and Thalia would've stayed longer had she not been there, but it was probably good that she was. With their impulse control, it was only a matter of time before they got into trouble.   
Annabeth got up and dusted off her pants, „Well guys, this was fun, but I should head home now.“

Thalia and Percy groaned, „Already? It's only 10:30!“

„Yeah, we've got school tomorrow,“ Annabeth smirked.

„Ooooh, buzzkill,“ Percy groaned.

„Yeah, well, what can you do,“ Annabeth shoved him, „Thanks for tonight guys, I really appreciate it. I'll see you around.“

She turned around and moved to step down when she suddenly felt someone grab her arm. She looked back and saw Percy smirking down at her, „Just where do you think you're going? I'm not letting you go home on your own at this hour.“

„Percy, it's fine, I can manage,“ Annabeth arched an eyebrow at him.

„I know you can, but humor me,“ he smiled down at her.

„Well don't you wanna stay with your friends a little longer?“ Annabeth asked, scrunching her eyebrows.

„Yeah, not a chance,“ Nico piped in, and Annabeth saw him and Thalia walking down the steps beside her and Percy, „He's gonna be all jittery if he lets you go on your own.“

„Not to mention that he won't shut up about you,“ Thalia wiggled her eyebrows at them. Percy shot her a glare and Annabeth blushed furiously.

„Yeah, that's enough of you, Pinecone Face,“ Percy hissed playfully.

„Whatever, Kelp Head,“ Thalia shrugged and followed Nico away from the two, chuckling to herself.

„Hey, coming home this early, maybe I'll get out of a lecture from Hazel in the morning,“ Nico laughed.

„Yeah, you should see Jason, he becomes such a mom,“ Thalia howled. She saluted Percy and Annabeth with two fingers and her back still turned to them, „Later lovebirds!“

„Don't do anything stupid! No fooling around,“ Nico spun around, pointing a mock-warning finger at the two.

„Oh fuck off, Death Breath,“ Percy shouted out to them as Thalia and Nico disappeared into the night. He shook his head with a small frown and turned to Annabeth. He rolled his eyes exasperatedly and picked up his skateboard. „After you, m'lady,“ he said in a fake posh accent, offering his arm.

„Why thank you, kind sir,“ Annabeth played along and looped her arm with his. She tried not to think too much of how close they were, or how warm he seemed to be. They slowly made their way out of the park and down the street.

At some point, a little away from Annabeth's house, they were both laughing as Annabeth balanced on his skateboard, rolling down the street beside Percy, who held her hand for support and laughed and smiled down at her. She skidded to a stop right around the corner of her house, still grinning, picked up the skateboard and handed it back to him. They rounded the corner and immediately, Annabeth's good mood disappeared. Her brows furrowed angrily, and she felt her jaw tense. Percy looked down at her with a confused expression on his face.

„She's still here,“ Annabeth hissed through clenched teeth. She saw Percy's expression darken immediately, but he wrapped an arm around her shoulders comfortingly.

„What do you wanna do?“ he asked quietly.

„What can I do?“ Annabeth growled. She had no choice but to go home. But she really didn't want to see her dad or that witch Helen.

„Well, um, I uh...“ Percy gazed down at the ground, shuffling his feet. He seemed nervous about something, but Annabeth had to note how cute he looked at that moment.

„What?“ she asked softly.

Percy lifted his head up, still not meeting her eyes. Instead, he just stared somewhere behind her, „Well, um, you're... uh... You're always welcome to, uh... to stay at my place... if you want?“

Annabeth just stared blankly at him, gawping a little. Did he... Did he really just invite her to sleep over at his house? He would do that for her? _Of course he'd do that for you, he's Percy, he's that amazing,_ her brain pointed out. Annabeth mentally slapped herself for that, but she just had to admit that her brain was right. Percy just was that amazing.

„Beth? You still there?“ Percy snapped his fingers before her eyes, and Annabeth realized that he was just staring at him for a solid minute. „Well?“ he asked, smirking nervously.

„Oh, Percy, thank you, really, I appreciate it, but I wouldn't wanna impose,“ Annabeth blurted out.

„Beth, Beth, relax,“ he chuckled, relaxing a little, „You're not imposing, I'm inviting you.“

„You sure you're okay with this?“ Annabeth checked.

„Absolutely,“ Percy smiled reassuringly, „You know I would do anything for you.“

Annabeth couldn't help but smile at that. Would he really do _anything_ for her? Did he really care about her that much? She knew that she cared about him _a lot_ , there wasn't anything she wouldn't do for him. She just didn't think he felt the same way. But then again, this is Percy. He's that kind, he'd probably say that to anyone.

„Well?“ he chuckled, pulling her out of her daze again, „What do you say?“

„Well, that's really kind of you, but I haven't got anything on me for the night,“ Annabeth gestured to her outfit.

„Well, we can sneak up to your room through the window?“ he suggested, „I hope that doesn't sound creepy,“ he snorted, which Annabeth found adorable.

„The window opens from the inside,“ Annabeth shook her head.

„Well then, I'm sure we can find you something back at my place,“ he shrugged, „And we can stop by the store, get you a toothbrush and whatever else you need.“

Annabeth thought about it for a second. She really didn't want to go and see her dad at that moment. If he really let Helen stay after she left, then she really didn't want to talk to him. And Percy was inviting her to stay over at his place. Why not, there's no harm in it. He's just being kind, it's not like they're gonna do anything. Percy would never, he's not like that, he's just being a good friend.

She smiled, „Okay then.“

„Great,“ he grinned happily, and Annabeth found herself giggling. „Come on.“ He slung his hand over her shoulder in a friendly way and turned her down the way they came from, towards his place. Annabeth hesitantly wrapped her arm around his lower back, resting her head gently on his shoulder. They stood so close, she felt giddy on the inside, though she had no idea why. Percy was warm and smelled of the sea. She marveled at how perfect it felt being by his side like that. She just hoped he didn't think she was being creepy or something. As if he had read her mind, Percy tightened his grip around her a little, pulling her closer to him. She had to stop herself from chuckling, but couldn't wipe the smile off her face. She looked up and saw him smiling down at her, those stupidly gorgeous green eyes of his shining in the darkness. Their faces were mere inches apart. All she had to do was lean up a little and-

„Tag!“ Percy poked her in the belly with the hand that was gripping his skateboard and sprinted off down the deserted street. Annabeth started after him in confusion for a second, not at him shouting 'tag!' but at her thoughts prior to that. Did she... Did she really...

Nope. Nope, she did not think about that.

„Oh come here, you rascal!“ she shouted out and sprinted off after him, just a few seconds behind him. She heard his laugh echo through the darkness, and couldn't help by laugh herself.

By the time they reached Percy's apartment building, both of them were panting, but still grinning like idiots. Annabeth had caught up to him fast and when they reached their destination, he was the loser. She grinned at him triumphantly.

„Oh shut up,“ he shoved her lightly, walking past her and over to the small 24-hour store at the end of the street. Annabeth told him to wait outside and stepped in, grabbed just a toothbrush and some dental floss, and met him outside again. He was leaning against the wall, smoking a cigarette. Annabeth shook her head and snatched it from his lips, throwing it on the ground and putting it out with her shoe.

„Hey!“ Percy protested.

„You know that thing can kill you someday?“ Annabeth challenged.

„Yeah, and so could about 90% of the things I do,“ Percy smirked.

„Exactly, no need to make it 91,“ Annabeth patted his cheek.

Percy groaned, „Fine,“ he slung his arm around her shoulder again, „buzzkill.“

„Oh you love me,“ Annabeth teased, poking him in the stomach.

„Yeah, I do,“ Percy smirked. Annabeth blushed. He probably didn't mean anything by that, it's just their banter.

Percy lead her into the building and up the stairs to his apartment. He fished out his keys from his pocket and unlocked the door. It was past 11, so he just put a finger to his lips, telling her to be quiet as they stepped in. Percy quietly closed the doors behind them. Annabeth watched him do it, both their backs turned to the rest of the apartment.

„Soooo...“ she heard a voice call out, making them both jump. Annabeth leaned against the wall as Percy clutched his heart, but Sally just smirked, leaning against the doorway to the living area.

„Mom!“ Percy groaned, „You scared me!“

„You scared me sneaking inside, young man,“ Sally scolded, but her smile was back on in a second as she turned to Annabeth, „Annabeth, it's a pleasure to see you again. Though I have to ask what's going on?“

„Oh, well, um...“ Annabeth stuttered, glancing back at Percy. She really didn't want to have to go through the whole story again with Sally. She sent him a pleading look.

„Uh, Annabeth's dad went out and she's locked out,“ he reacted, looking up at Sally sheepishly, „She didn't know when he's coming back, and it was getting kinda late, so I offered her to stay over here for the night.“

„I hope that's okay, Mrs. Jackson, I really wouldn't want to impose,“ Annabeth added, playing innocent. She felt bad about lying about why she was there, but she really didn't want to talk about what actually happened, and she was grateful to Percy for coming up with a good cover like that on the spot.

Sally eyed them both suspiciously, before smiling, „It's fine, Annabeth, of course it's okay! You're always welcome here.“

Annabeth let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding, and returned Sally's smile, „Thank you so much, Mrs. Jackson.“

„It's Sally, Annabeth,“ Sally corrected and walked over to a different room, „I'm going to clock in for the night. If you need anything, sweetie, feel free to ask. And no funny business, you two,“ she flicked her finger between the two of them suspiciously.

„Wouldn't dream of it,“ Percy grinned stupidly as he slung an arm over Annabeth's shoulder. 

Sally shook her head. „Okay then. I'll see you two in the morning,“ she smiled, „Sleep well.“

„Night, mom,“ Percy shuffled over and quickly pecked her on the cheek, before disappearing in the living room. Sally shook her head after him, and looked towards Annabeth with a warm smile.

„Thank you for bringing him home this early,“ she said quietly, „No doubt he would've been out for hours more.“

„Well, someone has to hold the leash on him when he's with his friends,“ Annabeth chuckled goodheartedly, „Otherwise they're all like dogs with no horses.“

„Exactly,“ Sally laughed, „Well, have a good night, Annabeth.“

„You too, Sally,“ Annabeth replied, „And thanks again. For letting me stay over.“

„Anytime, sweetie.“

Sally closed the doors to her room, and Annabeth took off her shoes, going into the living room after Percy. She sat down on a couch, quickly checking her phone, in hopes that maybe, just maybe, her dad called her. But to her major disappointment, there were no new notifications. She wasn't sure why she was disappointed anymore.

„Hey you hungry?“ Percy's head stuck out of the doorway to the kitchen. „I've got calzones,“ he smirked, holding out the box of frozen mini-calzones. Annabeth smiled softly. At least she still had him.  
„Sure, I could eat,“ Annabeth shrugged, getting up and walking over to the kitchen.

„Awesome,“ Percy grinned. Annabeth leaned against a counter as he shoved a couple into the oven and turned it on. She watched as he shuffled over to a pantry and pulled out a Tupperware box full of blue cookies, shoving one into his mouth and offering the box to her.

„I still don't get the blue food thing,“ Annabeth chuckled as she took one from him.

„Well, when Gabe was still around, he used to say there's no such thing as blue food,“ Percy explained, putting the box on the counter, „So mom and I started making everything blue to spite him. That's probably where my rebellious stage began.“

„I'm gonna be completely honest, that's a weird story, but it makes sense,“ Annabeth nodded as she shoved the last bite of her cookie into her mouth. Percy smirked and swiftly grabbed her by the waist, hauling her up onto the counter. Annabeth smacked his shoulder lightly, „Percy!“

„What?“ he smirked, his hands dropping down to his side, „You're short, my neck hurts,“ he teased, pushing his chin up with the heel of his palm. Annabeth scoffed, and he dropped his head back, smirking jokingly, „What is it, shortie?“

„You're impossible,“ Annabeth shoved his chest a little.

„I know,“ he grinned, and then he started ticking her sides. Annabeth bit back laughter for a second, but couldn't take it much longer. She started laughing, trying to push him away from her. He let her go after a few seconds, looking at her with a triumphant grin.

„Kelp Head,“ Annabeth scowled through a smile as she tried to regain her breath.

„Smartass,“ he retorted, still grinning. Annabeth was about to say something back to him when the oven suddenly dinged. Percy smirked and pulled the calzones out, burning his hand in the process. He tried to act tough and pull the tray out without oven mittens, and then almost dropped them after a second. Annabeth couldn't help but laugh as he scowled at her. He put the calzones on a big place and brought them over to the bar, along with two glasses from the pantry.

„Could you grab the soda from the fridge?“ he asked over his shoulder. Annabeth jumped off the counter and brought out a bottle of CocaCola from the fridge, sitting opposite of Percy by the bar. She poured the coke in both their glasses as Percy grabbed two forks. Annabeth took one gratefully and together, they devoured all the calzones in just a few minutes, cracking jokes and laughing quietly.

„Should've worn a 'kiss the cook' apron,“ Percy smirked teasingly.

„Yeah, keep dreaming, Seaweed Brain,“ Annabeth teased back.

„What, you don't wanna kiss Chef Percy, Wise Girl?“ he leaned forward. Annabeth had to remind herself that it was all just a joke.

„Not even in an alternate universe,“ she smirked.

„Ooof,“ he leaned back, clutching his chest in mock-pain, „One day, Wise Girl, one day you too will fall to the Jackson charm.“

„Not even in your wildest fantasies,“ Annabeth laughed. Percy pouted for a second, but then he let the banter go, shoving another cookie into his mouth.

„So,“ he said through a mouthful, „What are we gonna do tomorrow?“

„Go to school?“ Annabeth said, trying to make it sound obvious, though it came out more like a question.

„Nah, let's skive,“ Percy suggested, swallowing his food.

„What? No, we have to go to school,“ Annabeth replied.

„Oh come on, let's ditch just this once,“ Percy smiled charmingly, „It'll be fun, I promise.“

„Percy, I can't just skive, I'm an honors student,“ Annabeth said, serious now. She understood that he didn't really care much for school, but she did. She could never just ditch and not show up for class. It was out of the question.

„Why not?“ Percy challenged, not angrily, just temptingly, „It'll be fun, I promise. We can go to the mall, or to the park, or whatever you want. Hell, we can go to every bookstore in New York if you want.“

„Percy, we can't just ditch,“ Annabeth's shoulders slumped, „What are we gonna tell the teachers? And won't your mom be mad? First I show up with you unannounced in the middle of the night, and then we don't go to school?“

„Mom won't mind,“ Percy shrugged, „We have an understanding. I can skive three times a month, no questions asked. And besides, my mom loves you, she won't mind.“

Annabeth thought about it. She had to admit, it did sound very tempting to just ditch and spend a whole day with Percy. She could maybe relieve herself of some of the stress she's been under these past few days. Besides, she knew it would be fun with Percy whatever they were doing, even if they were just sitting in silence staring at each other. But she can't just ditch! What about her reputation? She's supposed to be an exemplary student, and an exemplary student doesn't just ditch class with some troublemaker boy. 

Then again, most exemplary students would never hang out with some troublemaker boy. But Percy wasn't just some troublemaker. He was a troublemaker, not to be confused. No, he was her troublemaker friend. She even dared go as far as to say best friend. And why wouldn't she drop everything to hang with her best friend? He always does it for her, why couldn't she do it for him this time? Just drop everything for a day and go have fun? Not that she's implying that she's his best friend. That spot is probably reserved for Thalia or Nico. But the point still stands. Whenever she wants to hang out, he leaves everything and comes. It's her turn to do that. But just for a day. Besides, one day won't hurt anything on her record, so long as they don't do anything illegal while out (and knowing Percy, it's not completely out of question, though she doubted he'd drag her into anything if she didn't want to). She can just say she was sick the day after. No one will doubt it, she's the number one student. So long as it doesn't become a habit, ditching just one day won't do anything. Besides, it'll probably be fun.

„So?“ Percy asked her after a while, a pleading look in his eyes, „Come on, Wise Girl, it'll be fun! Just one day, it won't hurt anything.“

„I suppose not,“ Annabeth shrugged, agreeing with him, even though she had already come to that conclusion.

„Is that a yes?“ Percy asked with a sparkle in his eyes and a grin growing on his face. Annabeth noted that she smiled so much that he'll probably have wrinkles around his eyes by his thirties.

She let out a breath through a laugh, „Yes, Seaweed Brain, it's a yes.“ He pumped the air triumphantly, letting out a winning grunt. „But just this once! We're not making that a tradition,“ she warned.

„Wouldn't dream of it, Wise Girl,“ he grinned, leaping from his stool and grabbing Annabeth's arm, pulling her with him into the living room, „Come on, there's a new episode of 'The Walking Dead' on!“

Percy pulled her beside himself on the couch. Annabeth scooted a little away, leaving some space between them. Percy smirked at that, and Annabeth hoped he didn't think she was being rude. Percy draped his arm over the back of the sofa and propped his feet up on the coffee table, and Annabeth curled up into herself on the small sofa, pulling her knees to her chest, and only then realized how uncomfortable she was in the tight jeans and button-up shirt she had on.

„Actually, do you mind if I go hit the shower?“ she asked. Percy turned his head and arched an eyebrow at her.

„Okay, let's go,“ he joked with a smirk on his face. Annabeth went bright red, and he burst out laughing. It was a beautiful full laugh as he threw his head back.

„You're im-pos-si-ble,“ she shoved him, groaning and exaggerating every syllable.

„Yeah, but you love me,“ he smirked at her.

„Yeah, I do,“ she smirked back, quoting what he said to her earlier that evening. She knew he wouldn't make anything of it, it's just their banter. Percy chuckled again, with a grin on his face.

„Imma go find you something to wear,“ he said, getting up, „You're tiny, I'll have to dig a little.“

„Anythings fine, really, thanks,“ Annabeth shrugged, walking beside him into the hallway. She grabbed her toothbrush and floss from her jacket. 

Percy pointed her to the bathroom, „Shower's that way. You can use my shampoo or my mom's, whichever you prefer,“ he smirked, wiggling his eyebrows, making Annabeth scoff at him. „The blowdryer's in the cabinet, if you wanna wash your hair. Oh and...“ he trailed off, entering the bathroom and pulling out a fluffy red towel from the high shelf above the door, handing it to Annabeth, „a towel for the lady Shortie.“

„What's with all the short jokes tonight?“ Annabeth squinted her eyes at him, but there was a slight smile on her lips. She was grateful that he grabbed it for her, she wouldn't have been able to reach it herself.

„I don't know, _Shortie,_ “ he teased, stepping out, „I'll leave you the stuff outside when I find it.“

„Thanks,“ Annabeth smiled and closed the door. She heard him walking away, whistling to himself absent-mindedly, making her lips twitch upward.

Annabeth quickly took her clothes off and folded them neatly on a small laundry basket by the sink. She quickly stepped into the shower, not wanting to take too long and be rude. Using Sally's shampoo, she washed her hair and body quickly, and stepped out and dried herself off with the fluffy towel Percy gave her. She pulled on the same underwear and bra she had on previously, suddenly very glad that she had a shower before Helen came over that afternoon, even though that was about eight hours ago. Wrapping the wet towel around herself, she carefully cracked the door open, checking if Percy was around. Once she saw that he wasn't, she opened it just a bit more and grabbed the clothes he left on the floor out the door. It was just simple dark grey sweatpants, a black T-shirt and a blue zip-up hoodie. 

She awkwardly pulled the sweatpants on. They were a little big on her, so she rolled up the cuffs twice. She pulled the shirt on too, and was hit by his strong sea scent immediately. It was definitely was too big, reaching almost to her mid-thigh, but she didn't care. Annabeth looked around and found the blowdryer, quickly just drying off her hair. She pulled on the blue hoodie too, feeling a little chilly. After quickly brushing her teeth and flossing, Annabeth gathered her things, checking twice if she had left anything behind. Once she was sure she didn't she stepped out and saw a simple brown paper bag by the door. She smiled gratefully, putting her things in it. Percy always acted like a total Seaweed Brain, but he was actually very considerate, and he was proving it every step of the way.

She stepped out into the living room again, and saw Percy sprawled over the couch, on his phone. He looked up at her, smiling widely, „Aren't you looking gorgeous?“

„Shut up,“ Annabeth smiled shyly and looked away.

„Seriously, you look cute in that hoodie,“ he smiled softly, „I mean, don't get me wrong, you always look cute, but you look super cute now.“

Annabeth shook her head, trying to play it cool, but couldn't help the blush on her cheeks. Did he really think she was cute or was he just joking? That was one thing she didn't like about Percy, she wasn't always sure if he was serious or just teasing. Sure, when they were talking about serious matters he was serious, but there were times like these when she just didn't know anymore.

Percy smirked and jumped up. He was probably just kidding. Annabeth sat down on the armchair as he passed her. „I'm gonna hit the shower too. Be right back,“ he said, before looking at the bag in her hands, „You can put that in my room if you want. You'll be sleeping there anyway.“

„Oh no, Percy, it's fine, I can just take the couch,“ she protested, „You've already done enough, I can't make you sleep on the couch too.“

„Wise Girl, calm down,“ he chuckled, „I insist. Really, it's fine.“

„You sure?“ Annabeth bit her lip nervously.

„Absolutely,“ he smiled, „I would've probably passed out on there when I got home anyway, if you hadn't made me come earlier.“ He laughed at that, but the look down at her again, „Really, it's fine. Don't fret. You can make me breakfast in the morning to make up for it.“ He grinned and disappeared into the bathroom. 

Annabeth smiled to herself, muttering, „Maybe I will.“ It really was the least she could do, what with Percy being that kind to her. Annabeth left the bag with her stuff in his room, glancing around the place again. It was rather devoid of color, what with the walls being a mix of blue and grey, the bed having black and grey sheets, and the closet being a simple cherry wooden color. 

The biggest splash of color was probably the posters above his bed. His mess of pencils and sharpies and papers was still there. Annabeth quickly had a glance at the drawing on his desk. It was done in black, grey, and red rapidograph pen and pencil, clearly still unfinished, depicting a woman's red lips and hand, in which smoke rose from a cigarette. It looked good, and Annabeth knew it will look beautiful once it was finished.

Putting down the drawing, Annabeth left his room and closed the door, sitting back on the small couch in the living room, flipping through her Instagram. She was just about to turn off her phone when she got a call. With a grimace and a frown, she picked up.

„What?“ she spat venomously.

„Annabeth, where are you?“ her dad's voice carried over the line. It wasn't concerned or even apologizing, it was annoyed and angry, making her annoyed and angry, which mixed with the feeling of surprise that her dad even had her phone number.

„What do you want, dad?“ she hissed.

„I want to know where you are and when you are coming home!“ he demanded.

„I'm at a friend's, and I'm coming back when you grow a spine and make that witch of a woman apologize to me,“ Annabeth replied coldly, wanting to shout at her dad, but not wanting to be rude and wake Sally up. She was already too kind to let her stay over.

„Helen did nothing wrong,“ her dad defended, „Why are you acting like this?“

„Why are you defending her?“ Annabeth retorted.

„Annabeth, stop with the attitude,“ he commanded, „I don't know what's going on, but I will not tolerate it. I want you back home this instant.“

„And I want you to for once stand up for me and be a father,“ Annabeth spat, on the verge of tears, „Dad, she was belittling me the entire evening and you just let her! I won't let her walk over me like that, no matter how rude that makes me or how much you care about her.“

„Annabeth, come on, don't do this,“ her dad said over the line.

„Dad, I'm not coming back until that woman is gone from our lives,“ Annabeth said, determined and leveled. She didn't care that she was making her dad chose. It should've been a no brainer. Besides, Helen was not good for him. She's manipulative and evil, and she's using him.

„Annabeth, come on-“

„It's me or her, dad,“ Annabeth cut him off, „You chose. You can't have both.“

Silence. Was he really debating who to pick? She's his daughter, for heaven's sake! Helen's just some woman he's been going out with for a few weeks. There are hundreds more like her. Is he really thinking who to pick?

„Wow, dad. Just, wow,“ she sighed.

„Annabeth, come on, she's not that bad. You'll get along, just give her a chance. For me, please.“

„I can't believe you're actually saying that,“ Annabeth hissed, „What have you ever done for me? You've neglected me most of my life. I practically lived alone. And now you're gonna pull a 'for me' card? That's a move reserved for those who are actually a part of someone's life.“

„Annabeth-“

„Dad, I'm just trying to look out for us,“ Annabeth sighed, „That woman is not good for you. I don't know why you can't see that, or why you'd let her just walk all over me, but I won't. I'm not coming back until you decide if I, your daughter, am more important to you, or some woman you met a couple of weeks ago. When you reach a decision, then you can give me a call.“

„Oh yeah? And where will you go? Where are you now?“ her dad challenged suddenly.

„That's for me to worry about,“ Annabeth replied coldly, and then just to spite him she added, „And for the record, I'm at Percy's. He was kind enough to give me a place to stay for the night. Do you know why?“ she paused for a second, but not to give him time to answer, „Because he's amazing and great and sweet and kind. Because he's my friend and cares about me more than my own father!“

And with that, she just hung up the phone. She knew it was cruel, what she did, but she didn't care. Everything her dad said about Percy that evening came back to her, and she felt good for shoving the fact that she was sleeping over at the flat of the guy he forbade her from seeing just a few hours prior. 

„Everything okay here?“ a voice called out, making Annabeth jump a little. Percy stood leaning against the doorframe, wearing light grey sweatpants and a big navy blue T-shirt. His eyebrows were furrowed, and his eyes shone with confusion and concern. „What happened?“

„Nothing,“ Annabeth shook her head, „Everything's fine.“

„Hey, don't do that.“ He sat down beside her, „It didn't sound so fine. Come on, talk to me. Tell me what happened. How can I help?“

„There's nothing to be done really,“ Annabeth sighed, sitting up straighter and staring at the coffee table, „My dad called,“ she said, „Wanted to know where I was and when I'll be home.“

„Did you tell him?“

„Well, I kinda had to shove it in his face, to spite him a little,“ Annabeth chuckled humorlessly. She looked up at Percy and saw the confusion on his face. She sighed again, „I didn't tell you everything that happened tonight. I was kinda embarrassed to say anything,“ she chuckled again, „But I suppose there's no harm in you knowing.“

„Knowing what?“ he frowned.

„Well, before Bobby and Matthew found my sketchbook, they found the CDs you gave me,“ Annabeth began explaining. She told Percy everything she had left out and blinked away the tears that welled up in her eyes. Percy listened silently as she told him about how she screamed at her dad for forbidding her from seeing him again. His face dropped a little when she was done, and he frowned as he stared at the table before them.

„I'm sorry,“ he whispered finally.

„What? Why?“ Annabeth stammered, confused.

„Well if you hadn't defended me, you wouldn't have had that fallout with your dad,“ he sighed, refusing to look at her, „It's my fault. I'm sorry.“

„Hey, don't you do that,“ Annabeth scrunched her eyebrows, taking his hand in hers, but he refused to look at her, „Percy. Look at me.“ She gently placed a hand on his soft cheek and forced him to look at her, „Listen to me carefully now, Seaweed Brain. You're my best friend, and no one will ever talk like that about you as long as I'm around, you hear me? I stood up for you because I care about you, and no one will speak badly about people I care about. And my stranger-father has no right to forbid me anything. I stood up for you because I care about you, you dummy,“ she chuckled a little, „And if I had a chance to do it again, I would do it in a blink of an eye. None of this is your fault. Besides, my dad and I would've gotten to this sooner or later.“

„Still, I can't help but feel guilty,“ he sighed after a few seconds.

„You have nothing to feel guilty about. Helen and my dad are to blame, not you,“ she assured him. She put on a small smile, one that he reluctantly shot back after a few seconds. She let go of his hand and pulled him into a tight hug, burying her head into his shoulder, breathing in his fresh sea scent. There were no words to describe just how amazing he smelled, or how perfect it felt being in his arms. She was strong and warm, and she felt safe with him.

„For the record,“ he whispered, hugging her tighter, „I care about you too. More than you can imagine, and I'm proud of you for being strong enough to stand up for yourself like that.“ He pulled back a little, smiling down at her, „And just so you know, you're my best friend too.“

Annabeth's breath caught in her throat. „Really?“

„Of course you are,“ he smiled, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

„I just always thought that that was Nico or Thalia,“ Annabeth chuckled.

„Yeah, but you're my bestest friend,“ he laughed. Annabeth laughed with him a little. „And just so you know, you're welcome to stay here as long as you want,“ he said, looking down at her.

„Thanks, but you've already done so much for me, I don't wanna be a bother. I'll see with Piper if I could stay at her place,“ Annabeth replied with a small smile, „Wouldn't want you getting tired of me, Seaweed Brain, would we now?“

„I don't think I could ever get tired of you, Wise Girl,“ he laughed, making her feel a little giddy, „But suit yourself. Just know that you're always welcome here, for as long as you want to stay.“

„Thanks, Percy,“ she smiled softly at him. Percy returned that smile.

„Come on, 'The Walking Dead' won't be on forever,“ he said, putting his arm up onto the back of the sofa and turning the TV on. Annabeth scooted away from him a little, pulling her knees up to her chest, and pulling the sleeves of Percy's extremely big, crazy comfy hoodie over her palmy. Percy smirked and grabbed her wrist, „Get over here, _bestie_ ,“ he chuckled, pulling her to his side and letting his arm fall around her shoulder, „I can't protect you from the scary zombies from over there.“ 

Annabeth laughed and made herself comfortable at his side. She was a little tense at first, but then she relaxed after a few minutes. That's another thing she loved about Percy – he was incredibly easy to just be around, even if they were technically cuddling on his sofa at 2 in the morning, watching a horror TV show. He just had that aura around him, it made everything so easy and laid back. Annabeth would've been tense sleeping over at any guy's house, even if they were as close to her as Grover for example; let alone sit so close to him. But not with Percy. Percy Jackson was different. He was easy-going, and he made everything simpler. He didn't read into things too deep, and he didn't take things too seriously. It made cuddling like that seem as simple and meaningless as shaking hands with someone. But it wasn't meaningless to Annabeth. It meant everything to her. She hoped he felt the same, in whatever context.

On that happy note, Annabeth just let herself relax and enjoy the evening. It wasn't long before she felt herself drifting, and darkness and blissful sleep consumed her, safe in the arms of her bestest friend, in the most perfect moment of her life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I hope that long read was worth it. I'm sorry the beginning is so cringey, I just couldn't defuse it, and I needed to make Helen look like a bitch, so it turned out a little cringey. I hope the rest of the chapter makes up for it though. I spent so long on this, and I had to say, I wrote almost all of it with a giant smile on my face. Percabeth is slowly coming together, which we all love, don't we? ;)
> 
> Anyway, I'm off to begin the next chapter right away, even though it's pretty late and I've been staring at the screen all day. In the next chapter, we'll see their adventures as they ditch school, so there's a little spoiler to look forward to this Sunday. See ya then :D


	8. Skiving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Annabeth's fallout with her father, she spends the night at Percy's apartment, and in the morning, the two ditch school to go and have some fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there! New update, as promised! I hope you enjoy this chapter, as always. There isn't really that much to say, so let's just get on with it! :D
> 
>  **DISCLAIMER:** I do not own any of the characters or songs mentioned! All rights go to their rightful owners!

The next morning, Annabeth woke up slowly, and for the first time in a long while, she woke up on her own. The first thing she felt was warmth. She was very warm. And comfy. She hugged the duvet tighter around her shoulders, begging her mind to give her a few more hours of sleep. Then she felt the pleasant sea-scent. She felt like she was walking down a sandy beach right by the sealine, the sun gently shining down on her skin as she gazed out into the water.

Slowly opening her eyes, Annabeth realized that she wasn't on a beach. She was in a room. A room that was not her own. The grey/blue walls surrounding her were covered in posters. There was a shelf full of CDs and a desk covered in papers. The covers over her body were not the soft silver and white color, but black and grey. Blinking slowly, Annabeth's eyes adjusted to the light seeing in through the blinds and window above her. Where was she?

It all hit her in a moment. The entire previous day flashed before her eyes. She had had a fight with her dad, and she left the house, and she met up with Percy, and he invited her to stay over at his place, and then they were eating in the kitchen, and then they were sitting on the couch watching TV when she fell asleep on his shoulder. Oh gods, she fell asleep on Percy's shoulder. In a different room. He must have carried her over to his room and tucked her in. Annabeth tried not to feel giddy as she imagined herself in Percy's strong, tan arms, being carried to bed. It made her heart feel warm.

She glanced at her phone, which was set down at the bedside table. It was just before 10 am. She had slept in. She missed school. She shot up immediately, panicking, and then fell back down onto the bed, remembering. She and Percy agreed to skive. Oh gods, she is skiving school!

 _Relax, it's just one day,_ her brain told her, _you'll go in tomorrow and say you weren't feeling well. You're the top student, no one will suspect a thing._

She relaxed a little. Her brain was right, it's all going to be fine. One day won't harm anyone.

Annabeth sat back up in the bed, glancing around. It was quiet in Percy's small apartment. Annabeth slowly stood up, brushing her hair out of her face. She looked around and saw her hair tie on the bedside table. She smiled a little. Percy must have taken it off last night. He was a definite Seaweed Brain, but a considerate and sweet Seaweed Brain. She quickly pulled her terribly messy curls into an even messier bun and slipped Percy's blue hoodie back on. She wasn't particularly cold, she just liked the feel of it around her. She liked Percy's scent, and the size of the hoodie made her feel like he was hugging her.

Shaking those thoughts away, Annabeth tucked her phone into the pocket of Percy's old sweatpants and slowly left his room and stepped into the hallway, closing the door behind her. She had to suppress a chuckle as she heard light snoring coming from the living area. She quietly went into the bathroom and brushed her teeth, before slowly tip-toeing into the living room. Annabeth glanced around, and sure enough, there he was.

Her breath caught in her throat when she saw him. He was laying on his stomach on the couch, topless. His shirt was discarded in the armchair beside the sofa. He still had his sweatpants on, for which Annabeth was grateful. His long, toned arm hung off the edge of the sofa, and his other one was lazily hugging the armrest. His feet dangled over the edge too. He was too long for the small couch. There was a blanket laying lazily over his lower back, but mostly hanging down on the floor. Annabeth had to remind herself to breathe and basically tore her eyes off his toned back, rising and falling in sync with his snores. She always knew Percy was athletic and muscular, in a lean way, but she had never actually seen him topless.

She pried her eyes off him, and quietly stepped up to the sofa. He looked so peaceful in his sleep, so innocent, even with his piercings. His bold, arched eyebrows were relaxed, and there was a light trail of drool flowing down his chin. Annabeth smiled to herself. He was easily over six feet tall, with piercings and surprisingly, a trident tattoo on the back of his right shoulder, and yet he somehow looked so small right there. Annabeth gently leaned over and slowly draped the blanket over his bare back, careful not to wake him. He didn't stir in the slightest, but it wasn't really a surprise to Annabeth anymore, after having spent more than five minutes trying to wake him up after Latin one morning in school.

She left him to sleep longer and made her way to the kitchen. She promised him breakfast last night. She just had to think of what to make and find the ingredients. She hoped she wasn't being rude, snooping around Percy's kitchen like that, but then she remembered, Percy would not mind it if she planted a bomb in there, so long as there was food. The blonde approached the counter and saw a little note on there. She picked it up and read it:

_Dear Annabeth,_

_I'm assuming you're the one to wake up first, my son's a bit of a heavy sleeper. I'm sorry I did not have time to prepare you two any breakfast this morning, I had to leave for work early. I hope you don't mind fixing something up yourselves. There's pancake mix in the pantry, and eggs and bacon in the fridge.  
I know you too are skipping school today, and don't worry about it, it's perfectly fine, just please stay out of trouble. I hope I'll be able to catch you two later today, but I'm not 100% sure I'll be able to make it home until late tonight. Could you please tell Percy to have a look at the car, something's up with it, and I didn't have time to take it to the shop this morning.  
Thanks in advance, sweetie. I hope you slept well last night, and that Percy didn't keep you up too late. And of course, you're welcome to come over any time again, it's always a pleasure to see you ;)_

_-Sally_

Annabeth smiled at the note and set it aside, She padded over to the fridge, pulling out some bacon and eggs. She scrambled up about half a dozen eggs and made a nice omelet. She quickly fried the bacon too, before setting it all on a big plate she found and left it in the oven to keep it warm. She opened a pantry and found the pancake mix Sally had mentioned, as well as some blue food dye. She mixed everything up and flipped up some pancakes. She set them all on a plate in a pile, making a kind of circular pyramid. She put some bread in the pop-up toaster and pulled out two plates from the pantry, along with forks and knives. She set everything on the long, wide bar where she and Percy ate last night, along with two glasses. She brought out some orange juice and yogurt too. 

She was scrambling around, looking for a kind of syrup to go with the pancakes, contemplating whether she should cut up some fruit and make a salad, when she turned around and saw a very drowsy Percy leaning casually against the entry to the kitchen, smiling sloppily. “Morning,” he yawned.

“Morning to you too,” Annabeth teased, setting the syrup down on the bar, “Sleep well?”

“Amazing,” he yawned again, sitting down at the bar. Annabeth had never seen anyone be less of a morning person, it was kinda funny. His eyes were still closed as he leaned on his elbow. At least he had been awake enough to pull on a shirt.

“Good,” Annabeth smiled and brought out the eggs and bacon. Percy looked at the food before him, and then back up at her with a grin, though he was a little confused. “I promised breakfast, didn't I?” Annabeth laughed, sitting down opposite of him.

“Well, I was joking, but I'm not gonna turn this down,” he chuckled, sitting up straighter and piling some eggs and bacon onto his plate. “Now it should've been you wearing a 'kiss the cook' apron,” he added, remembering what he said last night.

“Oh well, that boat has sailed now,” Annabeth sighed, waving mockingly. Percy scowled at her through a smile. Annabeth laughed at him, and they ate in silence for a while.

“Damn, Wise Girl, you really know how to spoil a man,” Percy laughed as Annabeth brought out the pancakes when the eggs and bacon were gone.

“I'm a girl of many talents, Seaweed Brain,” Annabeth smirked proudly.

“Clearly,” Percy agreed, “Though you know it should be me spoiling you, not the other way around? I'm the host here, remember?” he squinted his eyes, but his lips were still twitched upwards.

“Well, you'll have to try again some other time, Sleeping Beauty,” Annabeth patted his cheek, pouting like she was talking to a baby. Percy scowled at her and sprayed some syrup into her face. “Oh no you didn't!” Annabeth gasped.

“Oh yes I did,” Percy challenged.

“Oh it's on, Kelp Head,” Annabeth smirked and snatched the syrup from him, spraying some onto him. Percy gasped and got up, running around the counter. He grabbed ahold of some of the pancake mix and threw it at her. That's when all hell broke loose. The two of them chased each other around the kitchen, pouring syrup and pancake mix onto each other. In just about ten minutes, the kitchen was a complete and total mess, and both of them were sitting on the floor, shoulder to shoulder, laughing like maniacs.

“I totally won that,” Annabeth snorted a little, looking at Percy, who was covered in much more powder and syrup than she was.

“Yeah, fine, you win this one,” Percy shoved her, laughing. He jumped up and offered her his hands, which she gratefully took, and he pulled her up. For a few moments, they were just standing there, incredibly close, gazing into each others eyes, before they both awkwardly pulled away. “Well, I don't know about you, but those pancakes are calling me,” Percy smirked after a few seconds. Annabeth shoved him and they sat back down to finish their breakfast.

Once they were done there, Annabeth shooed Percy away to go and wash himself off, as she started cleaning up the kitchen. She was humming along to some song Percy played on the stereo, though she didn't originally recognize it, when her phone buzzed. Wiping her hands clean, she picked it up and saw Piper's name.

“Hello?” she answered.

“Hey, where are you?” Piper's voice carried over the line, “I haven't seen you all day, I was getting kinda worried.”

“Oh, I'm fine don't worry,” Annabeth assured her, “I just couldn't come in today.”

“What?” Piper asked, all her confusion evident in that one word.

“Yeah, I kinda skived,” Annabeth replied sheepishly.

“You? Skived?” Piper stuttered a little, “Annabeth Chase... skived?”

“Yeeeah,” Annabeth dragged.

“Wow, I thought all hope was lost,” she could hear Piper's smirk over the phone, “But I'm gonna need a bit of an explanation here.”

“Well, my dad and I kinda got into this huge fight, and I just left the house, and I didn't really have it in me to come in,” Annabeth said, leaving out the part that it was yesterday. She'll tell her that in person.

“Wow. Are you okay? What happened?” Piper replied.

“Nothing, don't worry about it,” Annabeth shrugged, “I'll tell you in person when I see you.”

“Okay,” Piper dragged, “Well, if you need anything, just let me know.”

“Hey, actually, since we're already on that,” Annabeth rushed, “Would you mind if I stayed over at your place for a couple of days? Just until I straighten things out with my dad.”

“Of course, it's no problem,” Piper spoke eagerly, “My dad's out of town anyway, so I'm kinda lonely all on my own over there. I'll come pick you up later, okay? I've got theater after school, and I promised Jason I'd meet him. Unless you want to talk, I can come earlier?”

“No no, that's fine,” Annabeth assured her, “Go with Jason, and just text me when you're done.”

“Okay then,” Piper replied, “But will you be okay on your own? Where are you even?”

“I'm with a friend,” Annabeth sighed contently.

“Which friend?” Piper asked skeptically.

“I'll tell you everything when I see you, I promise,” Annabeth promised, “Gotta keep you on your toes a little, don't I?”

“Oh, come on, just tell me who you're with?” Piper groaned.

“I'm with Percy,” Annabeth gave in after a second.

“Percy... Jackson?” Piper asked in confusion.

“Mm-hmm,” Annabeth hummed, with a small smile on her face.

“Okay, you seriously have a lot to explain, but it can wait,” Piper smirked after a moment, “I'll leave you two lovebirds to have some fun before that. No funny business, Chase.”

“Jesus Christ, when will people stop with that?” Annabeth groaned.

“Never,” Piper replied smugly, “Silena was right all along, you two had to have found a way to each other.” She paused briefly, “I gotta go, I'll be late for class. I want the deets tonight, though. Don't even think you're getting out of this, Chase.”

“Wouldn't dream of it,” Annabeth laughed and hear Piper's own chuckle carry over the line as she hung up. She turned around, and again, she saw Percy casually leaning against the wall in a clean white shirt and sweatpants, smirking. Annabeth jumped a little, clutching her heart, “Jesus Christ! Will you stop that?!”

“Stop what?” he smirked.

“Being all sneaky,” Annabeth scrunched her nose. Percy laughed and walked over to her, sitting back at the bar.

“So, what do you wanna do today?” he asked, “We can go to the mall, pool, arcade, park, bookstores, whatever you wish, Princess.”

Annabeth thought for a minute. Pool was out of the question, it was the middle of October for heaven's sakes. She didn't imagine Percy would have fun at a bookstore, so that was out too. She really didn't care that much where they went, she just wanted to go out and have some fun. “Let's go to the park first. We can go to the mall or something later.”

“Okay then, park it is,” Percy tapped the counter, smiling.

“Oh, but first,” Annabeth interrupted, sliding him the note his mom left, which she had forgotten about, “Your mom asked you to check something on your car. Says something's wrong with it. And to stay out of trouble,” she added with a smirk.

“Okey-dokey,” Percy grinned, taking the note from her and frowning at it, before giving up on trying to read it, “I'm gonna go do that, and you go have a shower, you nasty,” he smirked, pointing to her powder and syrup covered hair. Annabeth scowled at him, but he just chuckled, “Want me to go see if I got a shirt you can borrow? I doubt you wanna walk in that red one all day,” he asked.

“Well, if it's not too much trouble,” Annabeth nodded shyly after taking a second to think about it. She really didn't want to spend the entire day in that tight red button-up she wore yesterday. Percy nodded and dashed to his room. Annabeth laughed and finished up cleaning the mess in the kitchen when he came back with a black Blink-182 T-shirt.

“This this will do?” Percy asked, “It's the smallest I could find.”

“It'll be fine,” Annabeth smiled softly, taking the shirt from him, “Thanks, Seaweed Brain.”

“No problem,” he grinned and Annabeth left him in the kitchen while she went to wash off.

She didn't take too long in the shower. Once she was out, she pulled on her jeans from the day before, socks, and the shirt Percy gave her. It was smaller than the one she slept in, it must have been a tight-fit. A tight-fit that was actually a tight-fit on a 6ft tall guy, but hung off of Annabeth's small frame, halfway to her mid-thigh. Trying to make it look like a better fit, she tucked it into her jeans. She had to admit, she didn't look half bad in it. Just add a leather jacket – which she luckily grabbed before leaving her place last night – and maybe a little eyeliner, and she would look like a part of Percy's usual crowd. Annabeth smiled at that thought, making a mental note to buy some band shirts like that. The blonde dried off her hair, thinking what to do with it. A ponytail didn't seem to fit right with her outfit, so she decided to braid it. She quickly made a fishtail braid, leaving her bangs to fall over her forehead, and she pulled some strands to make it look messier and looser.

Once she was satisfied with how she looked, Annabeth gathered her stuff and exited the bathroom. She tossed the clothes Percy borrowed her for the night into the basket. Just like last night, she found Percy sprawled on the couch. He had changed out of the white shirt and sweatpants into a black Three Days Grace shirt and ripped jeans. He was nodding along to a song playing kinda loudly over the stereo and scrolling through his phone.

“Ryan Ross?” Annabeth guessed, listening to the music, leaning against the wall, copying how he always walks into a room. Percy grinned at her and sat up in one swift motion, shrugging. “Didn't think you enjoyed this kind of music,” Annabeth smirked, “I thought you were into more hard-rock stuff.”

“Yeah, but I'm also a huge Ryan Ross fan,” Percy grinned, looking her up and down swiftly, “I gotta say, Wise Girl,” he chuckled, “You're looking more like me with each passing day. Add some eyeliner, and you'll fit right in with my crowd.”

Annabeth scowled at him through a small smile, “Well if I'm gonna hang with you, I gotta look the part, don't I?” 

Percy laughed, “Well you certainly do now. But be careful, people might think you're someone who skives and goes to punk bars,” he joked, “But seriously, you look good,” he smiled softly at the end. Annabeth couldn't help but blush a little and smile at him shyly.

“Thanks,” she whispered, before straightening up. She wasn't really sure what was going on with her. She was always blushing and stuff. Basically, every other thing Percy said to her made her heart flutter. Every smile of his made her feel warm. She wasn't sure what was happening or why it was happening, but she's not gonna act like some teenage girl from some sappy movie. “Are we gonna go or what?” she asked, trying to be confident. She's Annabeth Chase, and Annabeth Chase doesn't blush around guys. She's the girl with the stormy glare who guys usually shy away from, not a girl who feels giddy every time some boy laughs at her joke or compliments her.

 _But Percy's not some boy,_ her brain whispered, and she mentally slapped herself. She doesn't need those thoughts right now. Nuh-uh.

“Yeah, sure,” Percy jumped to his feet, “To the park?”

“Yeah.”

“Cool,” Percy shrugged, “Wanna take the car there, or do you wanna walk?”

“Let's just walk,” Annabeth replied. She really enjoyed just walking with him.

“Okay, but put this on then,” Percy said, handing her a black zip-up hoodie with leather patches on the shoulders and elbows, and thin white lines woven into the soft fabric. Annabeth looked at the hoodie, and back up at him, confused. “It's kinda cold outside. Don't want you to freeze,” he shrugged and smiled.

Annabeth took the hoodie from him and smiled up at him, “You do know how to spoil a girl, don't you?” she teased, quoting what he said at breakfast.

“Oh what can I say,” he laughed, “I'm just awesome.”

“Yeah you are,” Annabeth blurted before she even registered what she said. Her eyes widened, and a blush crept onto her cheeks. 

Percy grinned widely, his green eyes shining, “Did you just say I'm awesome?” he teased.

“Oh get over it, Seaweed Brain,” Annabeth shoved him playfully. 

Percy chuckled softly, taking her hand in his and squeezing it gently, “You're awesomer though, Wise Girl.”

Annabeth felt her blush deepen, but still smiled up at him, “That's not a word, but I appreciate it.” She watched as his grin grew, and couldn't help but mimic it. Only then did it occur to her that they were extremely close. Like, almost chest to chest. She was looking up at him, and he had to crane his neck to look down at her. He really was handsome, with perfectly sharp jawline, those bold eyebrows, hair that fell into his eyes, and don't even get her started on his eyes. They were literally the most mesmerizing color ever. The color of the sea on a warm summer's day, shining brighter than the sun when he laughed, and yet so deep, and mysterious, completely unreadable. Annabeth caught herself glancing down, following his nose to his lips, and she quickly pulled away from him, trying to play cool, even though she was blushing furiously. She could've sworn he glanced down at her lips too. No, she must have imagined it.

“Should we go?” she asked finally, breaking the blissful moment of silence and their proximity.

“Uh, yeah,” Percy swallowed and let go of her hand. Annabeth couldn't help but feel incomplete, in a way, without his hand in hers. She shook those thoughts away, as she pulled his hoodie on. It was definitely too big, but she looked at herself in the mirror, and couldn't help but think that she looked kinda cute in it. It wasn't too baggy on her, so when she pulled her jacket over it, she looked kinda good, not overdressed, but actually good. She turned to look at Percy and saw him staring at her with a small, soft smile, his eyes shining, but glazed over in a way, as if he was a million miles away.

“Earth to Percy,” Annabeth chuckled.

“You look cute,” he blurted out, and then shook his head, as if he didn't intend on saying anything. Annabeth blushed (again) and smiled shyly at him.

“Thanks,” she whispered softly.

Percy's smile widened, “Come on, let's go,” he said finally, opening the door and holding it for her. Annabeth slid out of the apartment, followed closely by Percy.

* * *

“Let's play twenty questions,” Percy said, breaking the comfortable silence the two of them were in. They had reached Central Park fairly quickly, having taken the subway. They were just sitting down under a tree. They draped their jackets under themselves, which left Annabeth in Percy's hoodie, and Percy is just his T-shirt, though he didn't look cold for a second. He put some music on shuffle and they were just sitting there, listening to it.

“Okay,” Annabeth nodded.

“You go first,” Percy replied, shifting so he could look at her. Annabeth sat criss-cross on her jacket, thinking of questions.

“Okay, then, let's start easy,” she said, “When's your birthday?”

“August 18th,” Percy replied.

“Favorite color?” Annabeth asked.

“Blue,” he smiled a little.

“Okay, I'm not surprised,” she smirked, “Favorite... song? I know Three Days Grace is your favorite band, but you never told me your favorite song.”

“Do I have to pick one?” Percy groaned. Annabeth just nodded in reply. He was biting the inside of his lip, thinking. He gave his reply after a few seconds, “If I had to pick one, it would probably be _[ 'Anonymous' ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOTrJCR7RMk) _ by Three Days Grace.”

“Why?” Annabeth asked, forgetting that that would use up one of her questions.

“That counts as a question,” Percy teased, “But I think that's the one that means most to me. When I was younger, when things with Gabe got bad and stuff, when I just kinda needed to get away for whatever reason,” he explained, frowning, and Annabeth listened tentatively, “I would just hop on my bike and go to this little cliff by the beach, and I would just play that song as loud as possible, and scream the lyrics. I guess with the view up there, I could see most of New York City, and I just kinda felt free up there, like all my problems were down there, and I was somewhere else, free. So I would just let it all fall down into the city, and get away a little, all while that song played on repeat for hours. I guess it just helped me cope.” He ended with a solemn smile.

Annabeth put a comforting hand on his shoulder, offering a small smile. Percy put his hand over hers, and Annabeth knew that she didn't have to say anything to him. Everything was said in that little touch. “Okay then, onwards!” Percy let out a shaky breath after a few seconds, managing a little cheerier smile.

“Okay,” Annabeth thought, “What's your favorite song that you wrote and why?”

Percy thought for a minute, and finally gave his answer, “Okay, it's a tough one, but I think I know. It's not even a complete song, I just have this little bit that kinda stuck with me:

 **(( _['When The Day Met The Night'](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4Jaqb4sA1E) _ by Panic! at the Disco)) **

_‘When the moon fell in love with the sun  
All was golden in the sky  
All was golden when the day met the night’ _

“I don’t even know why it stuck with me like that, but I guess it just kinda holds a special place in my heart. I’ve written a lot of songs, but this is definitely my favorite, and it’s not even a song yet,” he chuckled, looking down at the ground. Annabeth smiled at him and moved to ask a question about it, but he cut her off, “And don’t waste questions asking what it’s about, I’m not telling. Truth is, even I’m not 100% sure what it is.”

“Okay then,” Annabeth nodded, “And just for the record, I think it’s beautiful,” she smiled, and Percy returned it. She went on with the game, “Favorite food?”

“Pizza,” Percy answered immediately.

“Least favorite food?”

“Brocolli,” he grimaced a little, making Annabeth laugh.

“Favorite TV show? And favorite movie?” she asked.

“I like _‘Doctor Who’_ , and favorite movie would be _‘Finding Nemo’_ ,” he laughed a little. Annabeth shook her head with a smile. “Okay, enough playing around, Wise Girl. Bring out the big guns.”

“You asked for it,” she smirked, “Let’s talk ex-girlfriends. How many? And why did it end?”

“Oooh, okay then, Princess,” Percy laughed, “Well, technically there were two, but I don’t really count one. Rachel Dare and Calypso. Rachel and I were together for maybe three months or so. I broke it off because she just started getting too much. She started hanging out with Drew and she really changed a lot, and I didn’t like it. We were good friends back in middle school, and we got together in freshman year, but like I said, three months in, and we ended things. And I was with Calypso maybe two weeks the summer between sophomore and junior year. I don’t really count that one, since we didn’t even kiss or anything. Things just weren’t really working out, she was too nice to hang much with my crowd and do the stuff we like, and her friends didn’t really like me, so we just agreed to be friends.” He ended, “Satisfied?” he smirked.

“Very,” Annabeth snorted, “Let’s move on. What’s the story behind the tattoo on your shoulder?”

“I like the sea,” he shrugged.

“Just that?” Annabeth arched an eyebrow.

“That counts,” he smirked, “And yes, just that.”

“Okay,” Annabeth nodded, and then smiled, “Okay, here’s a good one. What did you think about me before we met?”

Percy’s eyebrows rose a little at that, but he answered quickly, “That is a good one. To be honest, when I first saw you in freshman year, I thought you might be a cool person, someone I’d like to hang out with. But I had this distinct feeling that you didn’t like me, so I guess my opinion kinda morphed into a ‘stuck-up poster girl’,” he chuckled shyly at that, “But I still kinda wanted to get to know you, so I kept greeting you, hoping that maybe we’d start talking a little.”

“Okay,” Annabeth nodded along, smiling a little, “Why didn’t you start up a conversation sooner then if you wanted to be friends?”

“Well…” he sighed, “I guess I was kinda a coward. You’d kinda given me cold replies always, and I just had a feeling that you really didn’t like me, so I just let it go. And then I just kinda plucked up the courage after we were paired up for Latin, when I asked you for help in Maths. I didn’t actually care about my grade, I just wanted to have an excuse to hang out with you. Seems that it worked out perfectly,” he laughed.

“Okay, so did your opinion change, and how, now that we’re friends?”

“Besties, actually,” Percy teased, “And yes, it changed. I realized that you’re not a stuck-up poster girl, but that you’re actually really cool. Like, you’re awesome, Wise Girl. In every context of the word,” he looked down at her, sincerity in his green eyes.

“So, you’re glad we’re friends?” she asked, smiling at him.

“Beyond glad,” he flashed her a big, genuine smile. They just kinda started into each other’s eyes for a second, but then Percy leaned back against the tree, “Next question?”

“Oh, yeah,” Annabeth chuckled, “What’s the place you feel the safest, or the best?”

“Remember that cliff I mentioned earlier?” he asked. Annabeth nodded, recalling the story about his favorite song. Percy just continued, “I’d have to say that’s my favorite place.” He looked away for a second, smiling to himself, “I’ll take you there sometime, the view is amazing.”

“I’m holding you to that, Seaweed Brain,” Annabeth chuckled, and then a question popped into her head, “What’s your greatest dream?”

Percy frowned for a second, looking at the grass, “I guess I don’t really have one.”

“Oh come on, everyone has a dream,” Annabeth challenged.

Percy looked down, almost sadly. “Not me. I guess I tend to just kinda live one day at a time. I suppose I never really think about tomorrow.” Annabeth frowned a little at his sad expression, regretting having asked such a question. She really didn’t mean to make him sad. But clearly, Percy had this ability to cheer up quickly. He just shook his head, and smiled at her, if a little forcefully, “One question remains, Wise Girl. Make it count.”

“Okay then,” Annabeth shrugged, asking the first thing that came to mind with a teasing smile, “Who are you taking to prom?”

Percy laughed a little, but answered the question. Kind of. “Not telling. But truth be told, I don’t even know if I’ll be going to prom. I never really cared much for dances.”

“You’re no fun,” Annabeth shoved him. He laughed a little at that and sat back up. “Come on then, Seaweed Brain. Your turn.”

“Okay, let’s start easy,” he chuckled, “Middle name?”

“Mary,” Annabeth replied.

“Annabeth Mary Chase,” Percy repeated, “I like it. Birthday?”

“July 12th,” she smirked, “I’m older than you.”

“Ha-ha,” Percy mocked.

“Don’t use that tone with me, young man,” Annabeth scolded playfully, “Come on, next question.”

“Favorite food? Least favorite food?” he asked.

“Chocolate cake for favorite, and bananas for least favorite,” she replied.

“Bananas, really?” Percy questioned, scrunching his eyebrows in confusion.

“That counts as a question, Kelp Head,” Annabeth laughed, “And I don’t really know why, I just know I really kinda hate them.”

“Okay, weirdo,” Percy teased, “Favorite school subject and why?”

“Latin,” Annabeth replied instantly, “I just like Greek-Roman culture.”

“Not because you’re sitting with me?” Percy teased, putting a hand over his chest in mock-hurt.

“Keep wasting your questions, Percy,” Annabeth laughed, “But for the record, I’m not saying it’s not,” she teased. Percy grinned and sent her a wink. “Come on, next question.”

“Least favorite teacher?” he asked.

“Mr. D., obviously,” Annabeth replied.

“Good answer,” Percy agreed, “Okay, enough playing around. Ex-boyfriends.” Annabeth blushed at that, but Percy simply grinned teasingly, “Come on now, Wise Girl. How many?”

“Don’t laugh,” Annabeth warned, resigned to the embarrassment, though she didn’t know why. She had never really been embarrassed to admit that she had never been in a relationship before.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Percy assured her.

“Well, I’ve never really been in a relationship,” Annabeth answered, “I guess I never really cared much about it, I’ve always focused on school primarily.”

“Okay,” Percy nodded, confused a little, “I have to say, I’m a little surprised. A girl like you could have any guy she wants.”

“Oh stop joking around,” Annabeth shoved him lightly, crossing her arms over her chest and pouting a little.

“I’m serious!” Percy defended with a tiny, tiny smile, “You’re a good looking girl, Annabeth. Not to mention that you’ve got everything a guy could want,” he spoke, but Annabeth still didn’t look at him, “You’re smart, you’re funny, you’re kind, you know what you want, the whole package. Trust me when I tell you, you’re every guy’s dream.” 

She looked up at him and saw nothing but soft sincerity in his eyes. “You really think so?”

“I know so,” he replied with a small smile, “Trust me when I tell you, almost every guy at school has or has had a thing for you. Pigs, every last one of them, to be honest, maybe it’s a good thing you never went for any of them.”

“I guess I just never really thought guys would go for someone like me,” Annabeth shrugged, “I just thought they’d always go for Drew or someone like her. Not me.”

“Trust me when I tell you, they all want Drew to toy around with,” Percy laughed, “But you’re the kind of girl they want when they mature a little.” He said, “Still, trust me when I say, be wary of them. I’ve already had to plant some punches here and there.”

“Why would you do that?” Annabeth frowned, confused.

“Like I said, pigs, all of them,” Percy chuckled, “I’m not gonna let them talk like that about my bestie, now, am I?”

“I suppose not,” Annabeth laughed, “Thanks for looking after me.”

“Of course,” he slung his arm over her shoulder and pulled her into a little side hug.

“Just so you know, that’s a question less,” Annabeth teased and he groaned. “Come on, you’ve got ten more.”

“Okay, okay,” he said, pulling away and asking the next question, “What did you first think about me before we became friends?”

“Okay, please don’t be offended, but I didn’t really like you,” Annabeth looked away, a little ashamed. She was usually a good judge of character, and she had completely misjudged Percy. She didn’t look at him, but she could feel his eyes on her. She took in a breath, “I guess the whole punk thing kinda threw me off. I thought you were arrogant and irresponsible, a player, and a bad influence. Maybe that’s why I came off as cold to you, I didn’t wanna get involved with that. I’m sorry.”

“You’ve got nothing to be sorry for, Wise Girl,” he said softly, and Annabeth looked up to see him flashing her a small smile, “I suppose I do come off as a little arrogant at times and stuff. I don’t blame you. But I will ask though, how did your opinion change now that you know me?”

“Well, I realized that I was completely wrong soon after we first met up for that assignment,” Annabeth explained, “I thought you’d ditch me and leave me to do all the work, and I started realizing that I maybe I was wrong about you when you didn’t. And I figured out that I totally misjudged you that time you saved me from those guys in the alley,” she saw his expression darkened for a second, but it was gone as quickly as it came.

“And what do you think now?” he asked, his voice a little chipper, hoping that she had changed her mind about him.

“Well, before I thought you were this tough guy who got into gang fights and stuff, but I know now that you’re just a little puppy,” Annabeth ruffled his hair, making them both laugh.

“Excuse me, I am terrifying,” Percy protested.

“No you’re not,” Annabeth smirked, “Once you get through that tough-guy exterior, you figure out that you’re actually a really good guy. Sweet, kind, funny, caring, maybe a little overprotective. Not to mention a total of momma's boy and Seaweed Brain.” She laughed, “But I like that about you. It makes you different from most guys.”

“You really think so?” he asked, if a little shyly, “That I’m a good guy?”

“I’m counting that as one question,” Annabeth replied, and flashed him a small, sincere smile, “And yes. You are a good guy, Percy. Don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise. You’re probably the best person I know.”

“Aww,” he cooed, “Thank, Wise Girl. It means a lot to me.” She smiled at him, and he continued with the game, “What’s your greatest dream?”

Annabeth thought for a few seconds, “I guess I’d have to say it’s to become an architect. I want to build something permanent. Something that will last for many years to come. That’s probably my greatest wish – to leave something standing when I’m gone.”

“That’s nice,” Percy smiled down at her, “What’s your biggest fear?”

“Spiders?” Annabeth chuckled.

“Come on, be serious,” Percy smirked.

Annabeth sighed, “Probably being abandoned. Alone.” She was frowning sadly at the ground, “I suppose that with my mom gone, and my dad all but abandoning me, I’m afraid to connect with people, because I’m afraid they’d leave me and I’d be alone again. I guess that’s my biggest fear – being alone.”

She felt Percy’s hand under her chin, making her look up at him. His eyes were shining with sincerity, seemingly being able to see right through to her very soul. “I can promise you two things, Wise Girl. You’re not getting rid of me. I don’t let go easily.” He offered her a small, tiny smile, but it was so honest, she knew he meant what he said.

“I know, Seaweed Brain,” Annabeth returned the smile, saying everything with it. “What’s the second thing?”

“I promise to kill every and any spider that comes near you,” he chuckled. Annabeth laughed and shook her head. 

“I’m holding you to that,” Annabeth smirked, “Come on, four more questions.”

“Favorite place?” he asked.

Annabeth replied instantly, “There’s this one building my mom designed. I go there whenever I need to get away, much like you go to that cliff of yours. She was an architect, my mom. I guess that’s why I want to become one too. Architecture makes me feel closer to her. And so does that building.”

“Sounds nice,” Percy smiled, “Are you glad we became friends?”

“Very much,” Annabeth replied, “Wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.”

“Me too,” Percy grinned, “Okay, two more. Who are you taking to prom?”

“I don’t know,” Annabeth laughed, “And I wouldn’t tell if I knew.”

“Fine, that’s fair,” Percy groaned.

“Come on, last question. Make it count,” Annabeth teased.

“Okay, it might be a little weird, so you don’t have to answer,” he smiled, “What do you look for in a guy?”

That’s… interesting. Annabeth wrapped Percy’s hoodie a little tighter around herself, tucking her hands into the sleeves, and leaning back against the tree, thinking. What does she look for in a guy?”

“I don’t know really,” she said finally, “Like I said, I never really cared much for relationships, but I guess, anything any girl wants. Someone who cares about me. Someone kind and caring. Someone who will care about me and always be there for me. But I guess what I really wish for most would be security, in a sense that I can feel safe with and around him trust him, that I can count on him to be there for me, and not leave me. I guess that’s why I really want, someone who will be there for me and love me for who I am. Someone I’ll love no matter what.”

She smiled faintly to herself. That did sound nice. She looked up at Percy, who was smiling softly at her, in a way that she had never really seen before. Somewhere in the back of her mind, it occurred to her that she had basically just described him, but she didn’t really comprehend it properly.

“You’re gonna have a tough time finding a guy, Wise Girl,” he smirked, “But I guess that makes sense. You’re way out of most guys’ league. Whichever guy catches you is one lucky dude.”

Annabeth scoffed at him playfully, still smiling. “Well, that was fun. What are we gonna do now?”

“Let’s just sit here a while longer,” Percy suggested, “We can go to the mall later, if you want?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Annabeth nodded, resting her head back against the tree.

“Have you figured out what you’ll do? About your dad and everything?” Percy asked suddenly, looking at a passing couple absent-mindedly.

“I don’t know really,” Annabeth sighed, resting her head against Percy’s shoulder, “I told him not to call me until he decides who’s more important to him: me or Helen. It’s a little cruel making him chose like that-”

“There’s nothing to chose,” Percy cut in abruptly, “You’re his daughter, there’s really no choice. Is he that stupid as to really even consider Helen?”

“Seems so,” Annabeth sighed, “And you’re right, it shouldn’t be a choice, but it obviously is to him. I think he’s actually closer to her than to me. He doesn’t really care about me that much.”

“Annabeth, don’t get this the wrong way, but your dad is an absolute fuckin moron,” he said, throwing his arm around her shoulders comfortingly, pulling her closer to himself. Annabeth found herself absent mindedly wrapping her arms around his stomach and back, nuzzling into him. Percy put his other hand over Annabeth, gently rubbing circles into the back of her palm. “If he can’t see just how amazing you are, then he’s really just fuckin blind. You’re awesome and he doesn’t deserve you. Like I said, anyone who knows you is lucky to. And your dad should be boasting to everyone about just how amazing his daughter is. He does care about you, I’m sure of it. It doesn’t justify shutting you out all your life, or leaving you now, but he does care, he just needs time to realize just how much you mean to him. And you just need to know that you’re awesome and that none of this is your fault.” 

“I don’t know, Percy, I’m the one who stormed out,” Annabeth frowned, biting the inside of her lip.

“You stormed out with right. If he doesn’t treat you right, then he doesn’t deserve you. And that goes for everyone in your life,” Percy looked down at her, his face almost stern, like he was trying to drill it into her head, “Trust me, your dad will come around, I know it. Just give him some time to figure everything out. In the meantime, you’re welcome to stay at my place, if you want,” he offered.

“Thanks, Percy, I really appreciate that,” Annabeth smiled up at him, “But you’ve already done soo much – too much for me. I really wouldn’t want to be any more of a bother than I already have been. Besides, I talked to Piper this morning, she said I could stay with her until this blows over.”

“Suit yourself,” Percy shrugged, “But you do know that you’re not a bother? You’re always welcome at my place.” He smiled at her. “And I’m here for you. Anywhere, any time, I’m just a phone call away. You ever need anything, just say the word.”

“Thanks, Seaweed Brain,” Annabeth smiled, leaning her head against his shoulder. She closed her eyes for a second, allowing herself to relish in the content of having him by her side like that. A moment later, she felt him press a quick kiss to her hair, and rest his cheek on top of her head, as she rubbed her back soothingly. Annabeth smiled widely to herself, tightening her grip around his waist. She couldn’t help but marvel at how perfect that moment was.

* * *

It wasn’t long after their little heart to heart that Annabeth heard the distinct sound of a picture being taken. She opened her eyes and saw Percy holding his phone above the two of them, smiling goofily as he took a selfie. He looked down at her and smiled sheepishly.

“Percy!” Annabeth hit his chest.

“What?” he laughed, clicking on the photo and showing it to her, “We look good.”

She had to admit, they did look good. Percy was smiling goofily at the camera, his eyes and teeth shining. His tan seemed more golden than in reality. Annabeth was snuggled up against him, her blonde bangs falling over her forehead. Her eyes were closed, but there was a small smile on her face. They looked really cute like that.

“Yeah, I admit, it’s a good one,” she grinned, pulling away from him a little, “But I bet we can do better.”

Percy laughed, “Let’s see about that.”

They just spent the next few minutes taking photos, laughing like crazy. They made silly faces, stuck their tongues out, smiled, and laughed. At some point, they got up and it was a competition of who could take a better photo of the other person. It was rather ridiculous, having taken photos of Percy while he was taking photos of her. They ran around the park, chasing each other and taking silly photos of one another. They received many weird looks from other people there, but they didn’t care. Their smiles never wavered, never fell off their faces, and their laughter rung among the trees. 

Somehow, Annabeth had caught up to Percy and in the spur of the moment, jumped on his back, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. The laughed like crazy as Percy quickly snapped a photo of them like that, before wrapping his arms under her thighs and running around as fast as he could. They laughed like insane, without a single care in the world.

But Percy being Percy, tripped over something and sent them both tumbling down to the ground. Annabeth fell on top of him on the soft grass. Percy flipped himself onto his back under her, smiling.

“Oops,” he grinned sheepishly.

“Oops indeed,” Annabeth laughed, and leaned closer to whisper in his ear, “Looks like I win.”

Percy chuckled and in one swift move, he flipped them over, so that it was him on top of her, grinning widely, “Is that so?” and then he began tickling her.

“Okay, fine, you win,” Annabeth laughed hysterically, trying to breathe through it all. Percy finally let her go with one triumphant smile. He leaned down and kissed her cheek, and then he just fell over her, lying over her stomach. Annabeth blushed and laughed again, “Peercyyy,” she whined, trying to push him off, “Get off, you Kelp Head!”

“Mmm, nope,” he said, flipping around so that his head was over her stomach, “I like it this way.”

“You’re impossible,” Annabeth shook her head and let her head fall down against the grass, as Percy used her stomach as a pillow. She had to admit, she enjoyed the proximity they were in. And just the general atmosphere. The October sun shone down on them, and Annabeth couldn’t help but relax, feeling warm in Percy’s hoodie. She closed her eyes and just let herself enjoy the moment.

They lay in silence for a few minutes, just listening to some softer rock Percy had put on. It was mostly just instrumentals of some of his favorite songs, but Annabeth found herself thinking how it was even more perfect than if the lyrics were playing.

_“I text a postcard, sent to you  
Did it go through?  
Sending all my love to you  
You are the moonlight of my life every night  
Giving all my love to you_

_My beating heart belongs to you  
I walked for miles 'til I found you  
I'm here to honor you  
If I lose everything in the fire  
I'm sending all my love to you” _

Annabeth smiled, listening to Percy gently sing along to Green Day’s _“Last Night On Earth”_. She just listened in silence. She didn’t even breathe. Percy sang so softly, and yet so perfectly, it was intoxicating. He didn’t sound much like Billie Joe, but better in a way. He had a deep voice, maybe a little roughish, but in a good way. He sang those two verses like there was nothing but that in the whole world, pouring his whole heart into them. Annabeth felt tears welling up behind her closed eyelids, barely being able to handle the sheer emotion in his voice. It was the single most beautiful thing in the world, and yet, as much as there was in his voice, it all sounded so effortless, like he wasn’t even thinking about how he sang. The words just poured out of his mouth, and he probably didn’t even realize it.

He sang just those two verses, letting the remainder of the song float out into the wind without any words. Annabeth found herself silently begging for more. Percy’s voice was just so intoxicating, when you heard it, you just didn’t want him to stop singing. She wished she had heard him sing more often. Yes, he hummed stuff all the time, but this was the first time she had actually heard him sing. Even earlier, when they were talking about his favorite song, he hadn’t sung those few lines, he recited them. She kind of wished he had sung them, but at the same time not. She would’ve hated to be caught staring at him as intensely as she was listening now. His voice was just beautiful, she didn’t know how else to describe it.

“What’re you thinking about, Wise Girl?” he sat up, looking down at her with a smirk on his face, perfectly oblivious that he had just shocked Annabeth beyond belief.

“Uh… What?” she blinked a couple times, trying to get a grip on herself.

“I can hear the gears turning inside that pretty little head of yours,” Percy chuckled, “Come on, spit it out. What are you thinking about?”

Annabeth propped herself up on her elbows, smiling softly at the ground, if a little shyly, “It’s nothing, just…” she looked up at him, trying to pour all her sincerity in her eyes, “You have a beautiful voice, Percy.”

“Oh…” he let out a small breath, as if he really didn’t fully realize he was singing. He dropped his gaze to the ground, and Annabeth couldn’t help but feel her heart shatter at how his happy expression disappeared. He still had a tiny, tiny smile on, barely visible, as if he were reminiscing something. He did not look up at her. “Thanks, I guess,” he said quietly.

“Percy,” Annabeth crawled over closer to him, taking his hand in hers, but he still didn’t look at her, just kept his gaze firmly on the ground. “Percy, look at me,” she pleaded. Slowly, if a little reluctantly, he did look up at her, and Annabeth immediately wanted to cry. His green eyes seemed so sad, so broken, so sorrowful. She couldn’t comprehend that his eyes could look so shattered. She was used to seeing them sparkling with joy, not like this. They told her everything he was thinking. They expressed all his pain. The eyes truly were the window to one’s soul. And Percy’s were shattered to pieces.

“Now you listen to me carefully,” she whispered, reaching up to stroke his cheek gently, “I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking about your dad, and Gabe, and all the pain you’ve gone through in your life. And that’s okay. It’s okay to hurt, even years after. Pain makes us human. Now, I don’t know how bad it all was, and I don’t know the full extent of your pain, but…” she trailed off for a second, trying to put on a small smile, “I just heard you sing. And it was probably the most beautiful thing I’ve ever witnessed. You put emotion into it. You put your heart into that. I can tell that you loved it, even though you obviously didn’t even realize what you were doing. I could tell just from those two verses how much you miss singing and performing.”

“And I understand that it hurts,” she sighed, “Believe me, I know it does. I know that singing was once your out, and when things changed, it was a reminder of the past. Of the pain. I know that. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t miss it. It doesn’t mean that you can’t miss the thing that used to make you happy. I understand that it’s easier to just run from it all, but I can promise you, the pain will pass. It will become just a distant memory one day. One day, you won’t associate the thing that you love so much with the past hardships. I know that you feel like Gabe took this one last thing from you even when he was out of your life, but he will never be able to truly take it from you unless you let him. Take it back. Take it back from him. Stand up to him one last time. Look that memory in the face and show him that you were strong enough to defeat him one last time. Of course, you don’t have to do anything, but maybe it’s time to stop running from the things you love so much. Only then will the pain truly pass.”

Percy stared at her, his face expressionless, but his eyes gave out the pain. They showed it all. But slowly, Annabeth could see the pain slowly melting away, even if the tiniest bit, and the light take its place again. She could slowly see the jagged edges of the broken glass inside him dull, and his eyes slowly become more how she was used to them. He let out a shaky breath and put on a brave, tiny smile, barely just a twitch of his lips upwards. He squeezed her hand tightly, “We’ll see,” he sighed, “Thanks, Wise Girl.”

“You’ve got nothing to thank me for,” Annabeth smiled warmly, “I know that you’ll find the strength to overcome the pain one day. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but I know that when you’re ready, nothing will stop you from taking the stage again.”

“Will you be waiting in the crowd?” he smiled softly.

“As long as it takes,” Annabeth grinned. Percy let out a small laugh and wrapped his arms around her tightly. Annabeth hugged his neck tightly, reassuring him that she’s there now, and that she’ll be there when he needs her.

When Percy finally pulled away, Annabeth couldn’t help but feel a little empty, and just that little bit colder, but it all went away when she saw his wide smile again. “Come on, Smartass,” he leaped to his feet, offering Annabeth his hands, “We’ve got all day to waste. Let’s not waste it just lying around here.”

Annabeth took his hands gratefully, smirking, “Let’s go then. Can’t keep the fun waiting.”

“Oh, I think the fun gets there only after we do,” Percy teased and held her hand as they walked down the narrow path. Again, it was crazy how well their hands seemed to fit together. They walked down like that, with her head resting against his shoulders. She tried not to read too deep into things.

“Can’t argue with that.”

* * *

They ended up at the mall. They didn’t really do much there, they just walked around the shops, trying on silly accessories and stuff. Percy frowned for a whole 15 minutes when she insisted they go to a bookshop, saying that all that knowledge there gave him a headache. They had a quick lunch at a nearby McDonald’s, with a small fry-fight. In the end, they ended up in a small arcade at that mall, playing darts.

“I’m gonna kick your ass, Seaweed Brain,” Annabeth teased, taking her three darts.

“Oh yeah?” Percy challenged with his eyebrow up, “Wanna bet on it?”

“Oh, it’s on Jackson,” Annabeth smirked.

“Okay then, if I win, you have to let me teach you how to skate,” he grinned widely. Annabeth groaned, but accepted it anyway.

“Fine. But if I win…” she trailed off, thinking. In the end, a triumphant smile formed on her lips, “You gotta write me a song.”

“Okay then, Princess,” he laughed, “You go first.”

Needless to say, Annabeth kicked his ass. She always was better at darts than him. But then again, she was lucky they didn’t play pool. He was the king at that. Still, she pushed that thought aside and grinned wickedly, “I’ll be waiting for that song, Seaweed Brain.”

“Ha-ha, very funny,” he groaned, but still smiled, “But fair enough. I’m gonna write you the best song ever. I’ll just need some time to make sure it’s perfect.”

“Take all the time you need,” Annabeth laughed as her phone rung in her back pocket. She moved a little away from Percy and answered the call, “Hey, Pipes. What’s up?”

“Hey, I’m ready to pick you up, I just dropped Jason off at his place,” Piper’s voice carried over the phone giddily, “Where are you?”

“I’m at the mall, you know, the one with the arcade on the third floor?” Annabeth answered.

“Okay, I’ll be there in fifteen minutes. Wait for me out front,” Piper replied, “And don’t think you can get out of the bazillion questions I have for you.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Annabeth groaned sarcastically and hung up the line. She quickly checked the time. It was almost seven in the evening. They’d been messing around that mall for four hours.

“Everything okay?” Percy appeared beside her.

“Yeah,” Annabeth nodded, “It was just Piper. She’ll be picking me up in fifteen.”

“Oh, already?” Percy groaned.

“It’s seven in the evening, Percy. We’ve been out seven hours,” Annabeth laughed, “Come on, you can wait with me, Seaweed Brain.”

“Okay, but first,” he grabbed her wrist and pulled her over to a claw machine, “I gotta win you a teddy.”

Annabeth laughed as he concentrated hard. She watched him as he maneuvered the claw machine, deep in thought. She couldn’t help but think he looked kinda cute, with his tongue poking out of his lips slightly. Suddenly, he threw his hands up in the air as the machine dinged. He reached into the small compartment and pulled out a violet eyes panda bear, no larger than Annabeth’s forearm. He handed it to her with a grin and a small bow, “For you.”

“Thanks,” Annabeth grinned and felt a bit of a blush creeping up her cheeks. Percy smiled widely and slung his arm over her shoulders. Annabeth pressed the panda to her abdomen, wrapping her left arm around it, and her right around Percy’s waist. They slowly descended down the escalator, when something caught Percy’s eye.

“Okay, we’ve got ten minutes left,” he said, “We gotta commemorate your first skive.”

“Peeercyy,” Annabeth whined as he pulled her to a photo booth. He just laughed and closed the curtains behind them, quickly nodding at the man at the desk. Annabeth had to give in, and they spent the next few minutes taking silly pictures in the dark booth.

“Give me a second, I’ll be right back,” he said as they exited the booth and walked over to the desk, leaning against the counter. Annabeth waited for him, opening the text Piper just sent her.

**Piper**  
_I’m out front, where r u?_

**Annabeth**  
_Be there in a minute_

Just as she pressed send, Percy appeared beside her, handing her about eight squared photos, “For the lady. May this day forever remain amazing in your memory.”

“Thank you, kind sir,” Annabeth replied in a posh voice, looking over the photos as Percy put his arm back around her shoulders. 

There were five from the booth: one of them just smiling at the camera, with Percy making bunny ears over Annabeth’s head, one of her squishing his cheeks, one of him kissing her cheek, with her eyes closed (she blushed at it, deciding immediately that it was her favorite one), one of them with Annabeth’s new panda between their faces, and one of her on his back, piggy-back style, her head buried in his shoulder, so only her shining grey eyes were visible, and with Percy looking at her sideways, with a huge smile. The other three were from the park: the one where she was resting her head against his shoulder, the one taken just before they tumbled to the ground, one of her alone by a huge fountain, gazing into the water.

“We look super cute,” Annabeth laughed, tucking the photos in her back pocket and wrapping her arm around Percy lower back.

“I know,” he chuckled, “And just fyi, I’m using this one as my new profile on everything,” he grinned teasingly, showing her the photo of them in the park, the first one he took.

“Percy,” Annabeth hit his chest playfully with the panda.

“What? We look amazing,” he laughed.

“Well, can’t deny the facts,” Annabeth shrugged with a smirk, making him chuckle. Just then, they exited the mall, laughing. She immediately spotted Piper’s convertible parked just a few meters to their right. She looked up and saw them, and immediately a huge, wicked smile appeared on her face.

“Decided to come out, huh lovebirds?” she laughed as they approached the car.

“Hello to you too, Pipes,” Annabeth groaned, wiggling out of Percy’s grasp. He let her go and opened the door to Piper’s car for her with a teasing grin. Annabeth rolled her eyes and got in, feeling Piper’s eyes on her. No doubt she’d have a lot to explain once they were alone. Percy closed the doors behind her.

“Hey Jackson,” Piper greeted. 

Percy looked up at her with a smirk. “Waddup, Mclean?”

“You’ve been treating my girl right, I expect?” Piper laughed.

“Wouldn’t have it any other way,” Percy chuckled, looking back down at Annabeth, “I’ll see you at school tomorrow, yeah?”

“Yeah, of course,” Annabeth nodded, remembering that she still had his hoodie on. “Oh,” she said simply as she began to pull at the sleeves to take it off.

“Uh-uh,” Percy stopped her. She looked up at him confused, “Keep it. It looks good on you.”

“You sure?” Annabeth blushed a little, but paid no attention to it. It started happening so much, she didn’t even notice it anymore.

“Yeah, ‘course,” he smirked. “Well, I better be off.”

“You need a ride?” Piper offered.

“Nah, I’m good. I’m gonna go see if Thalia and Nico wanna hang,” he shrugged, looking back down at Annabeth, “I’ll see you tomorrow then. Call if you need anything.”

“Okay,” Annabeth smiled, “Thanks, Percy. For everything.”

“Don’t mention it,” he winked at her and stepped away from the car, saluting with two fingers, “Adios, mi amigos!”

“See ya!” Piper called out as she turned on the car engine and drove away. 

Annabeth waved at Percy quickly before he was gone from her sight. She turned back in her seat, facing the front, looking at her feet and smiling. She felt Piper’s eyes on her and looked up with a confused expression. Piper had the biggest, most manic smile on, it almost scared Annabeth. “What?”

“You’ve got so much to explain,” Piper laughed. Annabeth groaned and sank down into the seat. This will be a long night.

* * *

After a while, Piper pulled up in front of Annabeth’s house, as agreed, for Annabeth to grab her stuff. Annabeth’s stomach knotted as she looked at the plain white house before her, gulping. No doubt she would see her dad in there. And she was not ready for that.

“You okay?” Piper asked, putting a hand on Annabeth’s shoulder, “Want me to go in with you?”

“No, no, I’m okay,” Annabeth took a deep breath and exited the car, “I’ll be quick. Wait here.”

Piper nodded and Annabeth made her way towards the house. She quietly unlocked the door, hoping to slip in and out unnoticed. She padded up the stairs as silently as possible and entered her room. The place was a little messier than Annabeth had left it, probably from when Bobby and Matthew rummaged through her stuff yesterday. Sighing, she pulled out a simple silver suitcase from under her bed and put it up on it. She began shuffling around her room, grabbing enough clothes for at least two weeks. She grabbed her school stuff too, and a few books she had been reading. She was just gathering her stuff from the bathroom and putting them in the suitcase when she heard him.

“Annabeth?” her dad’s voice called out from the hallway. Annabeth didn’t turn to face him when he entered her room. She was just shoving in the last few things she’d need as he spoke up, “When did you get here?” She did not reply. Her dad walked over closer to her, looking her up and down with a frown, “What are you doing?”

“Packing, obviously,” Annabeth hissed, not looking at him as she grabbed the CD wallet Percy had given her. No way in hell was she leaving without it. She stuffed it into the backpack she put in things like that.

“Wait, you’re not seriously still on this?” her dad groaned, but she said nothing. “Come on, Annabeth, don’t do this. Let’s just talk,” he pleaded.

“I’m not ready to talk!” she snarled, still avoiding his gaze as she zipped up her suitcase, “And I don’t want to talk! You’ve hurt me, dad! There shouldn’t be a choice between me and Helen, and you’re still debating! I’m your daughter!”

“I know, Annabeth-”

“No, just, don’t,” she sighed, shrugging the backpack over her shoulder and hauling down the suitcase from her bed, “I don’t want to talk to you right now.”

“Alright,” he gave up, “Just, please tell me at least where you’ll be?”

“I’m staying at Piper’s,” she answered coldly as she carried the heavy suitcase down the stairs. 

“Not Percy’s?” he questioned, “And what are you wearing?”

“No, I’m not staying at Percy’s,” Annabeth grunted through clenched teeth, her anger rising up, “And I’m wearing his shirt, since I didn’t have anything on me last night, if you must know.”

“Annabeth, please, will you just stay away from the guy? I don’t like him,” her dad begged, and Annabeth whipped around to look at him for the first time.

“No, I will not!” she shouted and opened the front door, stepping out on the porch, “I will not stay away from him because he’s my friend, and he’s the best person I know. And I don’t care that you don’t like him, because I do! He’s a hundred times the man you are, and he actually cares about me, which is clearly more than I can say about you!”

“Annabeth-”

“Just, leave me alone!” she snarled and walked down to Piper’s car. Her friend was pretending to be reading something on her phone, clearly uncomfortable in the situation. Annabeth was grateful for her at that moment. She wasn’t sure what she’d do without Piper and Percy in her life. Without another glance towards her dad, Annabeth pushed the suitcase into the backseat of the convertible, along with her backpack, slid into the passenger seat and slammed the door behind her. “Let’s go,” she told Piper with an exasperated sigh. Her friend offered her a sympathetic, thin-lipped smile and drove away from Annabeth’s house. The blonde did not glance once back at her father, standing on the porch. She just hugged the panda Percy won her closer to her chest, clutching it like a lifeline.

* * *

Annabeth and Piper sat in her enormous kitchen, eating pizza and ice cream. Neither said much ever since they left Annabeth’s house. Piper’s butler, Jake, took Annabeth’s stuff up to a guest room, before Piper let him off for the day, leaving the herself and Annabeth alone in the giant house. Annabeth tried not to think of anything much, just nibbled absent-mindedly at her ice cream can.

“Okay, so, spill,” Piper said, licking her spoon, “What’s the thing between you and Jackson? When did you two become all buddy-buddy?”

Annabeth groaned, but told Piper everything, from the first time they worked on the project together, up to the point when she picked her up from the mall. Piper listened without interrupting, if you don’t count the occasional squeal and laugh, and the ten minutes Annabeth spent reassuring her that she was fine and unharmed after she forgot to leave out the part about that one Saturday night after the party. Annabeth told her everything about how she realized how Percy was not some asshole she thought him to be, but actually a really great guy. How she screamed at her dad for speaking poorly of him. How he was there for her when she left home, and how he invited her to stay at his place, and how they skived that day, and everything they did in between. Of course, she kept their more heartfelt stuff to herself – the talks about Percy’s step-dad, the secrets they shared, Thalia and Nico’s band, and some of the more meaningful things they shared during their game of twenty questions.

Annabeth didn’t realize she had stopped talking really and was just saying how amazing he is, smiling at the counter. She looked up at Piper to see her staring at her with wide eyes and the biggest smile she had ever seen on her. “What?” Annabeth questioned.

Piper shook her head, “You really don’t know?” she asked in disbelief.

“Know what?” Annabeth frowned in confusion.

“Wait, you really can’t figure this out? Annabeth Chase can’t figure the most obvious thing in the world?” Piper laughed.

“What?” Annabeth demanded, “Just tell me!”

“The guy’s into you!” Piper squealed, jumping up and down happily. Annabeth blushed like never before in her life, trying to blurt out some excuse, say he’s not and that they’re just friends, but nothing really came out of her mouth. At least, not an articulate sentence. Piper’s grin widened incredibly, and she practically screamed, “And you’re into him too! Big time!”

“What?” Annabeth shouted incredulously, her blush only growing, “Am not!”

“Yes, you are!” Piper laughed hysterically.

“I am not crushing on Percy Jackson!” Annabeth stomped her foot on the ground like a toddler throwing a tantrum.

“Tell that to the blush on your cheeks,” Piper grinned, squealing, “Oh gods, you’re definitely into him!”

“I am definitely not into him!” Annabeth drilled, “Nuh-uh, no way!”

“Suuure,” Piper teased, obviously sarcastically, “But he’s definitely into you.”

“He’s not,” Annabeth whined.

“Yes, he is!” Piper laughed, “Come on, Annabeth, think about it! You’ve been hanging out non stop, he was immediately with you when you needed him, he offered you a place to stay for the night, you skived today, he won you a teddy! Not to mention that you’re wearing his clothes!”

“He was just trying to be a good friend,” Annabeth reasoned. There’s no way Percy Jackson is into her. No way in the world.

“Think what you want, but it’s clear as day!” Piper grinned, “Silena was right, you two were made for each other, she knew it before anyone else.”

Annabeth groaned, but didn’t have it in her to argue anymore. Piper smiled triumphantly, and went to answer the incoming Skype call on the computer, muttering something along the lines of ‘ _speak of the devil_ ’. As if summoned, Silena’s face appeared on the screen.

“Hey girls!” she grinned, “What’s cracking?”

“All I’m gonna say is…” Piper looked at Annabeth with a teasing smile and then back at Silena, and spoke in a sing-song voice, “ _Percy and Annie, sittin’ in a tree; K-I-S-S-I-N-G._ ”

Silena squealed and Annabeth decided to call it a night then. She ran out of the room and up to the room that would be her own for the next few days. She heard Piper’s laugh echoing on the floor below. Closing the door behind her, Annabeth sighed and began unpacking. She hopped into the shower connected to her room and washed off the sweat from the day. She couldn’t help but mull over everything Piper said. There’s no way Percy’s into her. He could have any girl he wants, he would never go for her. And she does _not_ have a crush on him. There’s no way. They’re just friends… Right?  
Sighing to herself, she pushed those thoughts away and slid into the covers of the queen-sized bed. She didn’t really have it in her to do anything that night. She glanced at the bedside table, and saw the pile of pictures Percy had given her. With a smile on her face, she shuffled through them. They looked cute, to be honest. Really cute.

Smiling to herself, Annabeth got up and placed the pile on the vanity, grabbing her phone. There was a single text there, from Percy.

**Percy**  
_Night, Wise Girl. I hope you had fun today xxx_

Annabeth grinned to herself and typed out a quick response.

**Annabeth**  
_Night, Seaweed Brain. Thanks for the best skive ever xxx_

And just like that, Annabeth Chase fell asleep with the biggest smile on her face, the last thing she saw being the smiling faces of herself and her best friend on her lock screen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I hope that was entertaining. Sadly, this story is slowly coming to an end, but fear not, we'll have at least three more chapters, and I'll try to make them count. I wanted to thank you all for commenting, I love reading all feedback you send me. It really motivates me to keep going. So thank you all for giving my story a chance. I'll be off now to go start on the next chapter right away. See y'all soon!


	9. Family Reunions And Parties

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annabeth reunites with her father, Frederic and Percy meet, and Annabeth gets invited to a small party at Thalia's place. In other words, it was pretty much the calm before the storm.
> 
> _**WARNING:** This chapter contains unconsentual kissing, a tiny bit of violence, and underage drinking! _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no excuse for not posting sooner. Things have just been really weird with me, and my writing suffered because of it. I simply couldn't finish this thing for the life of me, so this chapter isn't nearly as good as the previous ones, or as good as I would like it to be, but my anxiety is kicking in from not posting so long, so here it is, I guess. I hope you enjoy it, even if it's not the best.

Annabeth had been living with Piper for about a week and a half now. She had received numerous calls from her father, but she returned none of them. Piper had tried talking her into seeing her father, but Annabeth just wasn't ready for that yet. She was so confused about everything. Piper had been trying to convince her that she likes Percy and that Percy likes her every time she came home from hanging out with him after school, but Annabeth just didn't buy it. There's no way she has a crush on Percy Jackson, he's just her friend. And more importantly, Percy would never have his eyes on a girl like Annabeth. They were polar opposites, there's no way they could function properly.

On that rainy Wednesday afternoon, Annabeth was on her bed in Piper's house, working on some extra credit homework for her Science class. Piper was downstairs with Jason, so Annabeth locked herself up to get out of their hair. She really didn't want to be present for their heated makeout sessions. She was trying to concentrate on her work, listening to some Evanescence playing in the background, but she wasn't all that successful. In the end, she decided to take a break and check her phone for a bit. She had a text from Percy. With a small smile to herself, she clicked on it.

_**Percy**  
Wine night at Thalia's this Friday. U in? xx _

_**Annabeth**  
Depends. Who's gonna be there and what exactly are we doing?_

_**Percy**  
We're just having a little house party. Thalia's invited just the usual gang, you, me, Nico and Reyna._

_**Percy**  
Jason and Piper might be there too, idk yet._

_**Percy**  
And of course, there'll be wine and beer. So, u in? _

Annabeth thought about it for a second. She didn't exactly have anything better to do, and besides, it might be fun. She never really was one for parties with booze, but since it's a small party, she won't have to drink if she doesn't want to.

_**Annabeth**  
Yeah, sure, sounds fun_

_**Percy**  
Awesome-sauce XD _

_**Percy**  
Need me to pick you up, or? _

_**Annabeth**  
Nah, I'll just come with Piper. Thanks anyway x_

_**Percy**  
K then, Wise Girl _

_**Percy**  
Catch ya later xx _

Annabeth just liked his message and shut off her phone, falling against the pillows and letting out a deep breath. She was kinda looking forward to the party, she couldn't lie. She could use some stress defuse. Turns out, that one day she ditched with Percy last week somehow managed to pile up a lot of work on her. She wasn't even sure how, but just missing that one day had her swamped with homework. Still, she didn't regret skipping, she'd had a lot of fun with Percy and wouldn't trade that for the world.

She was just about to go back to her work when she heard a knock on the door and saw Piper enter. She held the house phone in her hand and had a tight-lipped smile on. Annabeth groaned internally, already knowing where this was going.

“It's your dad,” she said, handing the phone to Annabeth, “He wants to talk to you. Says it's important.”

“Thanks,” Annabeth groaned and took the phone from her. Piper nodded and left the room. Annabeth put the phone to her ear. “What?”

“Hey, Annabeth,” her dad's voice carried over, “How've you been?”

“Cut to the chase, dad,” Annabeth snarled, “What do you want?”

“I just want to talk to you,” he sighed sadly, “Listen to me, please. I know that what I did was wrong, and you have every right to be mad at me. And I know I can't make up for the time lost during these past seventeen years, but please, let me at least make up these two weeks to you.”

“So you've made your choice?” Annabeth replied coldly, though she had to admit, she did have a glimmer of hope in her heart.

“Annabeth, there was no choice,” her dad said, “You were right. You're my daughter, and you mean the world to me. Helen and I are over. Have been for a while now.”

“Really?” she huffed, “How come?”

“Come on, Annabeth,” her dad pleaded, “I may be a moron, but I'm not blind. I may have been for a while, but you were right. Helen's not a good woman. And I'm sorry for even bringing her briefly into our lives and hurting you like that. Let me make it up to you. Please, let's just talk.”

Annabeth mulled it over for a second. She did want to talk to him. She did want to go back home. Yes, her dad had always been cold, but he's her dad after all. And her anger subsided during the past week. She did want to see him and make amends, but the stubborn part of her told her to just hang up the phone and leave him hanging like that.

“Okay,” Annabeth sighed, finally letting go of the resentment. Or at least enough to give her father a chance, “Okay, we can talk.”

“Really?” her dad sounded happier now, and Annabeth had to admit, a tiny smile crept onto her face.

“Yes, really,” she said, “But let's do this right. Face to face, not over the phone.”

“Perfect!” her dad chirped, “When can you meet? We can maybe go for lunch at that French restaurant you've always liked.”

“Okay, sounds good,” Annabeth smiled, “And we can do it right today, maybe. If you're free. I've got some homework to finish, but I'm free after that.”

“Perfect,” her dad replied, “How long do you need?”

“Meet you in two hours at the restaurant?” she suggested, glancing at the work before her. She didn't really need that long, maybe a half an hour more to finish that, but she wanted to take some time to think things over before they met.

“Sounds amazing,” her dad agreed, “I'll be there. Thank you, sweetie. I know a 'thanks' doesn't do much here, but still.”

“It's a beginning,” Annabeth laughed, “I'll see you later, dad.”

“Looking forward to it,” he chuckled and hung up the line. Annabeth smiled to herself and left the phone on the bed, while she swiftly finished the little work she had left. She didn't really have it in her to revise it, just chucked it away on the mahogany desk in the corner. She grabbed her cellphone, and without thinking, she dialed Percy's number.

“Yo,” he greeted, and Annabeth could practically see the smirk on his face. She smiled to herself, both from hearing his voice, but also from the joy of finally taking a step to make amends with her dad. She leaned against the headboard, tucking her hand into the sleeve of her jumper and biting her thumb. “What's up, Wise Girl?” he asked, cheery as always, just how she liked it.

“Hey, Seaweed Brain,” Annabeth chuckled, “I, uh, I um...”

“Annabeth? What is it?” he questioned.

“I'm meeting with my dad,” she blurted out, her smile widening.

“Wait, really?” Percy sounded incredulous, as if he too had a smile on his face. “That's amazing, Beth! When are you meeting?”

“Less then two hours,” she replied, “We're going out for lunch.”

“That's great!” Percy smirked over the line, but then he seemed to turn serious, “You gonna be okay? Sure you're ready to do this?”

“Yeah, I am,” Annabeth said, confident, “We've been avoiding our problems too long. Time to face it all.”

“That's good,” Percy replied, “Well then, good luck.”

“Thanks, Seaweed Brain,” Annabeth smiled, “I don't really know why I called, I guess I was just excited.”

“Hey, don't sweat it,” Percy chuckled, “I'm happy for you. It's all gonna be fine.”

“I hope so.”

“I know so,” Percy assured her, “Remember what I told you at the park? You are amazing, and your dad knows it. It just took him some time to see that.” Annabeth let out a breath and a chuckle with that, and heard Percy respond in the same way. “It's all gonna work out, trust me. And of course, if you need anything, I'm just a phone call away. Don't hesitate.”

“I won't,” Annabeth nodded, “Thanks, Percy.”

“No problem,” he replied, “I gotta go now, Thalia and Nico look ready to kill me. They're working on some new stuff, and they need my music talent.”

“Oh don't flatter yourself!” Annabeth heard Thalia call out faintly, and Percy laugh.

“I gotta go,” Percy said finally, “But do tell me how it all went.”

“Will do,” Annabeth laughed. “Bye Percy. Give my regards to the real talents there.”

“You know, the things you say are hurtful, _Annabeth_ ,” Percy teased, “Catch ya later, Wise Girl.”

He hung up after that, and Annabeth smiled to herself. She felt giddy, happy. She was about to make up with her father, or at least give it a shot; she had the full support of the best person in the whole world, who just so happens to be her best friend; she had the support of her other best friend, who had let her stay in her house for almost two weeks; she was slowly catching up with school; she was going to a party that weekend – things were starting to look really good.

Springing to her feet, Annabeth dashed to her closet, deciding to make herself look a bit more presentable and not go meet her father in the jumper and skinny jeans she was wearing. Her first choice usually would've been a nice, blue and white striped button-up and black pants, but something in her closet caught her eye. The black hoodie with leather patches on the shoulders and elbows. The hoodie Percy had given her the day they skived. It was hung neatly in her closet, among some other clothes, and standing out like a wolf among sheep, the black fabric mixing with the lighter colors Annabeth usually wore. She didn't wear it much, maybe twice after the day Percy had given it to her, and on both occasions she was out with him. She still felt a little weird wearing his clothes, but she didn't really care. The hoodie was so warm, and soft, and comfy, and not to mention, still smelled like Percy. That distinct smell of the ocean that made Annabeth's mind mushy. She felt safe in it, just amazing to put it simply.

Running a hand over the fabric, she thought about ditching the button-up and wearing something more casual, with the hoodie to top it off, but she decided against it. Maybe it's not the best idea in the world to go meet her father in the hoodie given to her by a guy he didn't particularly like, especially when they were off to make up over their argument. She pushed the hoodie aside and grabbed a smart red blazer and traded the button-up for a simple, tight white long-sleeved shirt. She pulled on a clean pair of plain denim jeans and some white sneakers, grabbed her purse, with her phone, earbuds and some money shoved inside, put on some lipgloss and mascara and threw them into the purse and padded down the stairs and into the huge lobby of Piper's house. 

She wasn't particularly keen on interrupting Piper and Jason's house date, but she thought it best to give a heads up that she was going out, “Piper, I'm going out!” she called out from before the front door.

“Everything okay?” Piper appeared in the archway to the living area just a second later, with Jason by her side.

“Yeah, fine,” Annabeth smiled, “At least, I hope so. I'm off to meet my dad.”

“Oh, really?” Piper's eyes lit up. Annabeth just nodded. “That's amazing, Annabeth! Do you need a ride or something?”

“No, it's okay, I've got time, I'll just walk,” Annabeth waved it off, “I'm not gonna keep you two waiting, I just wanted to let you know I'm not here. Have fun, and no funny business,” she warned with a smirk, pointing a finger at them.

“Oh come off it!” Piper huffed with a smile, at the same time Jason said, “Wouldn't dream of it.” Annabeth laughed, and was just about to leave when Piper called out to her, “Hey, you're coming to Thalia's wine night on Friday, right?”

“Yeah, I think so, Percy invited me earlier,” Annabeth nodded.

“You have to come, he's gonna be all prissy and whiny if you're not there,” Jason groaned, and then chuckled a little, “The dude doesn't shut up about you. You're stealing my bro, Chase.”

“Isn't it against the bro code to be telling me that?” Annabeth teased, ignoring the fact that one of Percy's closest friends said that he talks about her. She just hoped it's all good things.

“Yeah, but it's also revenge for ditching me last three times we were supposed to hang in the past week and a half,” Jason laughed. Annabeth scoffed, but didn't manage to hide the blush, which made both Piper and Jason laugh. She knew that Percy did sometimes blow off his other friends to come hang with her, she just didn't really know how to feel about that yet. Honored? Special? Happy? Yeah, probably all three.

“Bye guys,” Annabeth slipped out the door before they could embarrass her more. She and Jason were on good terms, having seen each other either when he was hanging with Piper or she was hanging with Percy. He's a good guy, and he's totally head over heels for Piper, which Annabeth approved of. They seemed happy, and she was happy for them.

She had a bit over an hour before she was supposed to meet her dad, and she had at least half an hour of walking to get to the restaurant. Plugging her earbuds into the phone and shoving them into her ears, she played some classic rock. So far, out of the older, more classic bands, she was liking Queen the best. She walked down the road, listening to some of their biggest hits, eager to see her father soon. She stopped by a Starbucks quickly and grabbed herself a latte, which took about ten additional minutes of her time, and then she helped an elderly woman get her groceries up to her house, which was another ten minutes. Finally, she reached the restaurant at a reasonable time, just a bit too early. She found an empty table for two, sat down, and waited.

Annabeth couldn't help herself, but let her knee bounce up and down as she tapped her fingers on the white-clothed surface of the table. She told the waiter who was with her practically the minute she sat down that she was waiting for someone, and just ordered herself a lemonade. At that thought, that she was waiting for her father, Annabeth began to worry. What if he doesn't show up? What if he decides that something else is more important than her? What if he decides that Helen is more important and goes back to her? What if he just decides not to show up? And even among all her worries, she couldn't help but think about how she was definitely spending too much time with Percy, as she picked up his habit of bouncing her knee and tapping her fingers on the surface before her. Though she just tapped her pointer, Percy seemed to have a sort of a rhythm to his tapping, as if he was absent-mindedly fretting a guitar.

She smiled faintly at the thought. She had been sitting at the restaurant maybe five minutes when her phone suddenly buzzed. She was half expecting it to be her father saying he couldn't make it in the end, but she was quite pleased when she saw Percy's name pop up on the screen.

_**Percy**  
I can feel you worrying all the way from my place. Turn off that big brain of yours and relax, everything's gonna be okay, Wise Girl xx _

She smiled. It was sometimes so crazy how he always seemed to know when she was nervous or overthinking, even if they were miles apart. He always knew exactly the right thing to say to cheer her up. She was just about to type out a response when she heard the bell above the door jingle. She looked up and saw her father standing there, looking around the restaurant. He looked composed, in a simple white button-up and black pants. His blonde hair, which was the only feature they shared, was gelled back stylishly, and he had a hopeful look on his face as he scanned the room. Annabeth practically forgot about Percy's text when his eyes landed on her, and a smile spread across his face as he made his way towards the back of the small restaurant, to where she was sitting.

“Annabeth!” her dad greeted when he finally reached her, if a little hesitantly. Annabeth smiled at him and gestured to the seat opposite of her. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to hug him or something, but she decided that she wasn't really ready for that yet. 

“Hey dad,” she replied as he sat down. “How have you been?”

“All better now that you've finally agreed to talk to me,” he smiled slightly, “How are you?”

“I'm fine,” Annabeth shrugged, “School's kinda tough and all, but I'm managing.”

“Good, that's, uh, that's good,” her dad nodded, “Listen, Annabeth, I think it's best if I just get this all out of the way right now.”

He sighed and continued, “I am so sorry. For everything. I know that sorry doesn't fix all my mistakes as a father, but it's the least I can do at the moment. I should have never neglected you like I did. I just... There's really no excuse, but to be honest, I have nothing to say. I just, I suppose you reminded me so much of your mother. You and she are literally carbon copies of each other. But that's no excuse. If anything, after we've lost her, I should've hung onto you harder, since you're all that remains of her. No matter what, I never should've left her like I did.

“And I never should've let Helen walk over you like that. I suppose I just wanted someone in my life to fill the void your mother left, and I pretended to be blind to Helen's many flaws. I should've stood up for you from the start, and I regret not having done that. And I never should've shouted at you the way I did that night, and I never should've let you leave.

“I just... I want you to know that I am sorry. About everything. You're the single most important person in my life, nothing comes before you. I'm just sorry I've done such a poor job of expressing it. I want you to know that there was no choice between you and Helen. I suppose that after you left, I was a little angry and I let her stay for just those few hours, mostly because I was in denial. When I finally called you that night, I realized what really happened and I told Helen not to ever call me again. I was ready to try and reconcile with you as soon as the call was over, but after you came to pick up your things, I realized that you needed some space and that I needed to think things over.

“And I came to two conclusions. One, I must never fail like that again. I must never make you feel unloved in your own family. You're all I've got Annabeth, and I want you to know that I do love you, even if I did such a poor job at expressing it. I promise you now, I'll try to reduce the time I spend working, go on long trips as little as possible, and spend more time with you, if that's okay with you. That's actually the second conclusion I reached – I have a lot of lost time to make up for, but I'm willing to do anything if you just give me a chance to do better in the future. Because you're my daughter, and I love you more than anything in the whole wide world.”

Annabeth had to admit, she was on the verge of tears while he talked. She kept her eyes firmly on the table. Every word he uttered felt like a stab to the chest from the pain of the past, but every next word seemed to heal those wounds. She had waited so long to hear those words from her father, she had gone through millions of reactions and possibilities in her head, and suddenly, all of them disappeared. She wasn't really sure what to say anymore. She just kept her eyes on the table, pushing back tears and trying to let the words sink in.

“Annabeth?” her dad called out suddenly, “Honey, say something. Please.”

She didn't really know what else to do, she just shot up from her seat and hugged her father tight, letting one single tear slip from her eyes. Slowly, as if he wasn't really sure what to do, her father gently wrapped his arms around her. Annabeth smiled, though he couldn't see it. “I love you too, daddy,” she whispered and let out a dry laugh as she pulled back, “And I do forgive you. For everything. I realize that it has been as hard for you as it has been for me. But don't think that you won't have one hell of a job to make up for the lost time.”

Her father chuckled too, “I promise you, I'll do my best. I just hope you don't get too bored of me.” Annabeth laughed at that. “Thank you, Annie,” he said, “For giving me another chance.”

Annabeth just smiled and nodded at him. At that moment, the waiter came about and took their orders swiftly, leaving the two to chat lightly. Their food came soon after, and they ate in comfortable silence. They got a bit of a dessert after the main course, and that's when the questioning began.

“So, if we want to do this right, I need to know some things,” her dad chuckled, “Tell me about school.”

“Well, it's going good,” Annabeth shrugged, taking a bit of her tiramisu cake, “It's tough and all, but like I said, I'm managing. I'm an honors student, so I have a lot of work, but I'm pulling through. Grades are good, I'm keeping them up.”

“Good, that's good,” her dad nodded, “Have you thought about colleges?”

“Well, I wanna study architecture, like mom,” Annabeth said quietly, looking down at her empty plate, “I don't really know where I wanna go yet. I mean, Harvard seems appealing and everything, but I also kinda wanna stay close to home. My life is here, ya know? I guess I'll see when I get scholarship offers and stuff, make a decision then.”

“Well, if you don't find what you're looking for, I can always pay for tuition,” her dad smiled faintly, “I can see how much architecture means to you, I've kept all the drawings you made as a child. We can get you into any college you'd like. But if you want to stay close to home, maybe NYU is a good pick?”

“I don't know anything yet,” she shrugged, “We'll see. And thanks.”

“Of course,” her dad gave her a small nod, “And what about your friends? You mentioned staying with Piper this past week?”

“Yeah, her dad's in Hollywood, so she offered me a place to stay,” Annabeth chuckled, “Though it feels more like I'm living with her and her boyfriend, Jason, since he seems to be there all the time.” Her dad laughed at that. “I just kinda lock myself in my room then, give them some privacy, or I just ditch them and go hang with someone else.”

“Let me guess, that boy, Percy?” her dad arched an eyebrow, but Annabeth was surprised that it was more in a teasing manner, and that he didn't say Percy's name with the spite he has before. “What's the deal between you and him?” Annabeth arched an eyebrow in question. Her dad sighed, “I know I said bad things about him before, and you were right, I had no right to say anything like that without meeting him first. I'm sorry I made you upset over it the other day. I'd like to do this right this time, listen to what you have to say about him, and not draw conclusions from his music taste. So, tell me, what's the deal with you two? Are you dating?”

“What? No!” Annabeth defended, “No, we're just friends!”

“Well you seem to be spending a lot of time with him, but okay,” her dad chuckled, “Tell me about him. I'd like to know what's the deal with that boy.”

“Well,” Annabeth sighed, “I've known him for a while, we've always had quite a few classes together, but I've really just met him a few weeks ago, when Mr. Brunner paired us for Latin. We did amazing on the project, and a few days later, he asked me to help him with Maths, so he doesn't fail the semester, and we went for milkshakes later. I guess we just kinda clicked, and we started hanging out more often ever since.”

“So what's he like?” her dad questioned with a smirk.

“Well, he's a really great guy,” Annabeth smiled to herself, “He's very sarcastic, and funny in a stupid way. He's a tough dude, not just from how he looks, but I've seen him stand up for me and other people multiple times. He's had a bit of a tough time back in the day, and so he knows what it's like being picked on, and doesn't let it happen to others if he can help it. That's why it bothered me that you said he was a bad influence, because I know that Percy's everything but that. But I suppose that once you get through that tough-guy demeanor, Percy's just a pig puppy. He's kind and sweet, and funny, and silly. He's always there for his friends, he's beyond loyal, sticking with them through thick and thin. He's just a really good guy.”

“And you tell me you're just friends!” her dad laughed a little. Annabeth scoffed and flicked a wrap of a toothpick at him. Her dad chuckled a little, “But seriously, you seem to really like him. As a friend or otherwise, that doesn't matter. I'm sorry I was so quick to judge him, just because Helen said something and I saw that he liked punk music. He sounds nice enough.”

“He really is,” Annabeth smiled, “He's the best friend anyone could wish for.”

“So, am I ever going to meet this boy?” her dad teased, making Annabeth blush and stutter a bit. He laughed, “Well, even if he's just your friend, I'd like to know who my daughter is spending so much time and sneaking out at night with. Come on, if I wanna be a better dad, I gotta do the interrogation, now don't I?”

“I... I don't know,” Annabeth bit her lip nervously, “You really wanna meet him?”

“Only if you're okay with it,” her dad nodded.

“Well then, I'll see what I can do,” Annabeth offered a tight-lipped smile, “But just know that Percy's very, very protective of his friends, and I was kinda really angry with you that night, in case he's a little tense. I'll tell him to behave, I promise.”

“Okay,” her dad laughed, “Just tell me how intimidating I need to be with this boy?”

“No offense dad, but I think it'll be you who's intimidated,” Annabeth joked, “Percy's kind of a big guy.” Her dad shot her a look, which made Annabeth laugh, “I'm joking, I'm joking! You don't need to be intimidating at all really. Trust me, if Percy's not already out of his skin before he even steps foot into the house, you'll actually see that he's literally the nicest dude.”

“Okay, but why would he be out of his skin?” her dad squinted his eyes.

“Because he's Percy, he's always nervous about whether people will like him or not,” Annabeth smiled faintly, thinking about just how much of a puppy Percy “Tough-Guy” Jackson actually is.

“Okay, then,” her dad shrugged, “I'm looking forward to it.”

“Actually, we could do it tomorrow before school, if you want?” Annabeth asked, “Percy lives just two blocks from us, I'm sure he could come by before school and have a quick chat.”

“Okay then, sure,” Annabeth's dad nodded. Annabeth laughed at the bit of nervousness that came over him, and they spent some more time just laughing at the restaurant. 

Her dad paid the check, and then they drove back to Piper's house. Annabeth quickly explained everything that happened and packed her things, giving Piper the biggest 'thank you' hug in history. With her suitcase and backpack in tow, Annabeth got back into the car and drove home with her father. Once she was back in her room, she quickly unpacked and pulled out her phone, finally dialing Percy's number to tell him what happened.

“Well well, if it isn't the Wise Girl who left me on read,” he teased as he picked up the line, “You know, that really hurt me, Beth,” he chuckled.

“Oh shut up, Seaweed Brain, I've got news,” Annabeth laughed.

“Spill,” he demanded, probably smirking. Annabeth told him everything that happened, leaving out the things she said about him to her dad. She left that for the end. Percy listened without interruption. “I've told you everything was gonna be alright, haven't I?” he laughed when she finally stopped.

“Oh, you won't be laughing in a second, Aquaman,” Annabeth chuckled, “My dad asked about you.”

Silence followed for a second, and she heard Percy gulp over the other end, “He did?”

“Yeah,” Annabeth smirked, “He said he was wrong to judge you before knowing anything about you, and that he wanted to know who I'm hanging out with. He wants to meet you.”

“Uh... Um... What?” Percy spluttered, “He wants to _meet me_?”

“Yes, Seaweed Brain,” Annabeth laughed, “He wants to meet you. Is that okay?”

“Well, um, I guess... I don't know,” Percy whined, “He's not gonna like me, Annabeth. You know the effect I have on parents. They never like me.”

“He'll love you, trust me,” Annabeth chuckled at his nervousness, “Just keep the punkishness and snark to a minimum, and everything's gonna be great.”

“I don't know, Annabeth,” he sighed, “What if he doesn't like me?”

“So what?” Annabeth shrugged, “It's not like he can really stop me from hanging out with you or anything. He just wants to know who I'm hanging out with, which is fair, considering that we're out practically every day,” Annabeth smiled softly to herself, “And besides, why are you so nervous about this?”

“Well how would you feel if my mom didn't like you?” he said as if it were obvious, “You're my best friend, what do I do if he doesn't like me?”

“He will, trust me,” Annabeth huffed slightly, “I've told him that you're a good guy, don't worry. Just keep calm and be honest. It's not like it's really an interrogation, just ten minutes with my dad tomorrow before school. I promise I'll be there with you.”

He kept silent for a few moments, as if he was mulling over the whole ordeal, “Do I really have to?” he whined finally.

“Well you don't _have_ to do anything, but are you really gonna say no to my dad?”

“Suppose not,” he sighed, making Annabeth smile, “Promise you won't leave me alone?”

“I promise,” Annabeth assured him.

“When should I be there?” he asked, resolve in his voice.

“Just come ten minutes before you usually would,” Annabeth grinned, even though he couldn't see it, “Just ring the bell, and I'll be there to open the door.”

“Okay then,” Percy said, as if shrugging, “But you owe me one for this, Chase.”

“Okay, okay, I'll let you copy my History homework,” Annabeth laughed.

“Shit, we had homework?” he facepalmed, “Well, I suppose meeting your dad is a small sacrifice to pay for getting to copy your homework.” He laughed, “You know, one would think you'd let your best friend copy your homework more often.”

“Yeah, in your dreams, Seaweed Brain,” Annabeth chuckled, “I'll see you tomorrow.”

“Oh gods, give me strength,” he frowned, “See ya then, Wise Girl. Bye.”

“Bye.” Annabeth hung up the phone and made her way downstairs, where she found her father watching television. “Percy will come by tomorrow before school,” she announced as she sat down in an armchair, “Just, please, go easy on him. And don't embarrass him. I can already tell that he's nervous about this.”

“Yeah, he's not the only one,” her dad scoffed, making her chuckle. “Don't laugh, I've never done this before. I'm allowed to be anxious a little.”

“Well I promised Percy I'd be there to defuse the tension, so there's that,” Annabeth smirked, “Just, keep it simple and clean. He won't be here long, I told him to come ten minutes before school.”

“Okay, that's a relief,” her dad sighed and ran a hand over his face. Annabeth laughed and let her attention be consumed by the movie playing.

* * *

The next morning, Annabeth was sitting on the stairs in the hall, scrolling through her phone, and waiting for Percy to come by. Her backpack was resting beside her, ready to go. She had to admit, she was a little on edge. It was almost time for Percy to come, and he still wasn't there. She knew her dad liked punctuality, and with each passing second, she began to worry. Last night, she had trouble falling asleep, thinking about the encounter that morning. What if her dad doesn't like Percy? He doesn't know him like she does, what if just being polite for these ten minutes isn't enough to appease her dad?

She had to push away those thoughts. Percy is a likable guy, he'll crack through her dad in no time. Everything's going to be okay. She had to believe that, anyway, as just then, the doorbell rang. Annabeth sprung up to her feet, biting the corner of her lips and jogged over to open.

She had to admit, she was surprised by what she saw. Percy was leaning by his forearm on the wall, tapping his foot nervously. He wore a simple white shirt, jeans with no holes in them, Converse sneakers, and a leather jacket that took place of his more ornate biker one. He had taken out all his piercings except the eyebrow stud, and it looked like he tried to comb his hair, which was a massive failure. He was bitting his lip nervously as he looked up at her.

“Morning,” he greeted, trying to put on a smile, “Let's get this over with?”

Annabeth let out a breath, letting a smile of her own creep onto her face. “Just relax, Seaweed Brain. It's gonna be fine, it's not the end of the world.”

“Easy for you to say,” he protested, “Do you have any idea how terrified I am of this? I couldn't get a minute of sleep last night!”

“Are you really that nervous?” Annabeth smirked, teasing.

“Yes!” Percy replied, his voice rising in intonation.

Annabeth laughed, grabbing his hand and pulling him in, “Relax, Percy. My dad's gonna love you. Just, keep it short and be polite, and it's gonna be fine.”

He took a deep breath and exhaled, closing the door behind him, “Okay. Yeah, fine, let's just do this.”

“Good,” Annabeth reached up and ruffled his hair playfully, “But I've got a question first.” He arched an eyebrow, making Annabeth snigger, “What's with the change of style?”

He shoved her, scoffing through a smile, “Shut up, you know why.”

Annabeth laughed and grabbed his hand, dragging him into the house, where her father was reading the newspaper with a mug of coffee in his hand. He looked up over his thin-rimmed glasses and arched an eyebrow as the two entered. He set down the papers and got up, putting on a small smile, one that might have looked perfectly normal to others, but Annabeth saw the nervousness behind it.

“You must be Percy,” he greeted, extending his hand out to the boy who was a good three inches taller than him, so he kind of towered over the man. “Frederick Chase” he introduced himself, “I've heard a lot about you.”

“It's a pleasure, Mr. Chase,” Percy shook his hand, offering a small smile. Annabeth's dad gestured to the dinner table, and all three of them took a seat, Percy sitting down next to Annabeth and the opposite of her dad. It didn't take long for Annabeth to notice his knee start bouncing up and down, making her smirk a little. He was so nervous, it was kind of ridiculous. Annabeth contemplated it for a second, but decided to put a comforting hand on his knee anyway, sitting close to him so her dad doesn't notice while also trying to radiate calmness to Percy. He stiffened for a moment, but then relaxed a little.

“So tell me about yourself, Percy,” her dad said, breaking the short silence, “Like I said, Annabeth's told me a lot about you, but I'd like to hear what you've got to say.”

“I hope she hasn't said anything bad,” Percy smirked at her, before turning back towards her dad, “There isn't really much to say, sir. I'm in the same year as Annabeth, and in some of her classes. We've met during a Latin project and we started hanging out after that. That's all.”

“I think he meant to tell him something about yourself, Seaweed Brain,” Annabeth laughed, watching a slight blush creep onto Percy's cheeks.

“Well, uh, I... um...” Percy stuttered, scratching his neck, “Well there isn't much to say really. I go to school with Annabeth, I like swimming and music and art. That's about it.”

“Just that?” her dad questioned. Percy nodded. “You say you like art? You paint?”

“Well, not really, I rarely paint,” Percy explained, “I use pencils and pens more, or just do digital works. I prefer the feel of a pencil over the brush.”

“I see,” her dad nodded, before suddenly blurting out a question that made both Percy and Annabeth blush deeply, “And what are your intentions with my daughter?”

“Dad!” Annabeth protested, profoundly embarrassed. Percy just stared at him with those gorgeous eyes the size of frying pans, face as red as a lobster and mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.

“What? It's a simple question!” her dad defended, “I mean, you've spent a night at his house. There was no funny business, right?”

“No, sir, I would never,” Percy put his hands up in surrender, “I just offered her a place to stay, that's all. We didn't do anything.”

Annabeth remembered falling asleep on his shoulder, but decided that it was not the time for reminiscing. Instead, her embarrassment rose with each passing second. “Trust me, dad, Percy's the last guy to do something like that,” she scowled, burying her face in her hands.

“Like what?” her dad challenged.

“Like offer a girl a place to stay and then take advantage of her,” Annabeth hissed slightly.

“So there's nothing going on between you two?” her dad asked, pointing between them.

“No, sir, we're, uh, we're just friends,” Percy replied.

_Ouch._

“In that case, call me Frederick,” her dad smiled and stood up, offering Percy his hand again. The younger boy looked at it curiously for a second before taking it. Annabeth's dad shook hands with her friend, “I'm sorry this was so embarrassing. Truth be told, I'm not usually the one to do something like this. I'm as glad as you two that this is over.”

“It's alright, sir,” Percy chuckled, “I understand completely. Don't get this the wrong way, but your daughter is an amazing girl, and any guy would be lucky to have her,” he smiled teasingly at Annabeth, slinging his arm over her shoulder, “Just make sure he's a good one, eh?”

“Okay, now you're embarrassing me!” Annabeth protested, slapping his chest playfully. Percy chuckled at that.

“Quite right,” her dad laughed, and Annabeth knew it was a good sign. “Well, you kids better be off, wouldn't want you to be late,” he declared, “Percy, it was a pleasure meeting you. I hope to see you around.”

“Likewise, sir,” Percy nodded with a small smile. Her dad clapped him on the shoulder as he escorted them out. Annabeth tried to pick up her backpack, but forgot that it was full of books she needed to return to the library. Percy chuckled and took it from her, slinging it over his shoulder so he carried his own black backpack on one, and Annabeth's grey one over his other shoulder. Annabeth arched an eyebrow at him, and he just offered a sheepish smile. “Have a good day, Mr. Chase!” Percy said as he stepped out onto the porch.

“See you around, Percy,” her dad replied, before grabbing Annabeth's shoulder and whispering into her ear through a quiet chuckle, “Hold onto that one, he's a good guy.”

“Told you so,” Annabeth shrugged. Her dad kissed the top of her head, which made Annabeth's heart feel warm.

“Have fun today sweetie,” he smiled as he disappeared behind the closed doors.

“That went well?” Percy asked as Annabeth approached him. He was shuffling nervously by the gates to her front yard, making Annabeth laugh.

“It went great,” she replied. A sigh of relief left Percy's mouth as he smiled at her warmly, slinging his arm over her shoulder as they began their walk to school.

* * *

The hallway was deserted, as everyone was already in class. Annabeth was just by her locker, grabbing some things for her class, which she was late to because Mrs. Dodds held her back after Maths to discuss some extra credit work. She slammed the doors of the blue locker and almost jumped out of her skin. 

“Hey there, beautiful,” the sandy-haired guy leaning on the locker beside her grinned. Annabeth wasn't happy to see him. Far from that actually.

“What do you want, Luke?” she scowled, shouldering her backpack and crossing her arms over her chest.

“I wanted to ask you something,” he said through a smile that made every instinct in Annabeth's body scream at her to run.

“Speak up, I haven't got all day,” Annabeth snarled.

“Feisty as always, Annie,” he chuckled. Annabeth was just about to scold him for the nickname, but he continued talking, “What are you doing after class today?”

“I'm studying with Percy,” she lied coldly. She was actually just going with Piper and Hazel to the mall, but she knew Luke and Percy were rivals and really hated each other, and that Luke was also kind of scared of Percy, so she thought maybe if she mentioned him, Luke would back off. It didn't work.

“Oh come on, Annie,” Luke moved in front of her, putting his hands on either side of Annabeth's face, trapping her between himself and the lockers, “Why are you wasting your time with him? He's a nobody. There's nothing for you there. Why would you choose him over me? I'm the captain of the football team. I can give you everything. What has Jackson got that I don't?” he purred into her ear, making Annabeth extremely uncomfortable.

“Decency?” Annabeth challenged, “Look, Luke, I've told you a million times. There will never be anything between you and me, okay? Just, leave me alone already.”

“Oh come now, Annabeth,” he smiled sweetly, but to Annabeth, it looked more like he was baring his teeth at her, like an animal, “I'm so much better than that scumbag. Let me prove it to you. Go out with me?”

“Not in a million years,” Annabeth hissed, trying to push him off her.

Luke grinned, cupping her cheek, making Annabeth flinch away at the contact, “You know you want me, Annie. You can't deny it.”

“There's nothing to deny, Luke,” she spat out, “I don't like you. Never have, never will. So just back off!”

“Oh, how about now?” he slowly leaned in, and a second later, Annabeth felt his lips against her. A shiver ran down her spine. Not like how it did whenever Percy put his arm around her shoulder, for example. Not even close. No, this was more a shiver of fear, a cold sensation running down her back, turning on all alarms in her mind. She desperately kept her mouth shut as Luke tried to force her to open it. She tried pushing him away with all she had, but it didn't work.

With all the strength she could muster, Annabeth pushed Luke away, by the chest, desperate to get away from him. They finally broke apart, Luke had a big grin on his face, and Annabeth was panting from her effort to get away from him, feeling absolutely disgusting. “Oh, you always were feisty,” Luke chuckled, “I like that.”

“Yeah?” Annabeth challenged as he stepped closer again, anger seething in her, “How do you like this?” She was glad she wore boots that day, as she kicked Luke where the sun don't shine with all the strength she could muster, making him groan in pain loudly and double over. Remembering a few moves Percy had shown her once, Annabeth shoved her knee into his nose, holding him by the jacket on his back, and then pushed him to the ground, leaving him lying there, curled up into himself, groaning in pain. “Don't try anything like this ever again, Luke, or I'll show you just how feisty I can be. In fact, stay away from me altogether.”

She turned on her heel and marched away. She made her way swiftly and proudly towards her next class, apologizing for running late when she finally got in. She sat down next to Juniper with a proud smile on her face.

“Everything okay?” Juniper looked her up and down, suspiciously squinting her eyes.

“Never better,” Annabeth grinned cheerfully, and turned towards the board, her smile not wavering once.

* * *

Once she took the encounter with Luke out of the picture, Annabeth's week had gone by pretty okay. Of course, as always, she was buried under a mountain of homework and assignments, but she decided to forget about them for the night, and focus solely on having fun at Thalia's with Percy and the gang. In retrospect, she should probably stop ditching her school-related obligations in favor of spending time with the green-eyed boy, but that's a task for another day.

Annabeth and Piper skipped up the front steps to the door to Thalia and Jason's huge house. It was a simple, modern two-story building, but also clearly expensive and high-end. Even on the outside it looked pretty fancy, but it was hard to focus on it given the raging rock music booming on from the inside, the guitar-riffs practically shaking the whole house.

Piper shook her head and grinned at Annabeth, ringing the doorbell. She didn't wait for anyone to answer, chances are no one even heard the bell go off, so they just opened the door and entered. The music had been so much louder inside, and the whole place was darkened a little, with bright colored lights illuminating the space from a toy disco ball on the table. Even though it was a small party, with less than a dozen people present, there was enough booze to satisfy the entire senior class.

Annabeth and Piper entered the room, grinning at the sight. Reyna and Thalia were dancing, each with a different flavored vodka bottle in hand. Jason was happily munching down brownies, but seemingly decided to ditch them to come and greet Piper with a kiss on the cheek, leaving crumbs on Piper's little disgusted face. Much to Annabeth's surprise, Nico was on the couch with a cliche red cup in hand, chatting with the one and only, Will Solace. Annabeth wasn't really sure what he was doing there, but she wasn't complaining. The only person she didn't see was Percy, but he was likely to turn up somewhere sooner or later.

“Ayyy, Annie's here!” Thalia cheered, shoving a cup of some weird cocktail concoction in her hand, “Drink up pretty, it's the initiation,” she grinned. Annabeth arched an eyebrow with an amused smirk on her face. Why the hell not, it's a party anyway. She threw her head back and chugged the whole thing, and the room erupted in cheers.

“Aaaand, welcome to the group! Officially!” Reyna laughed, “There's booze... everywhere,” she glanced around, “Brownies too, but I'd say watch out for the ones on the yellow plates, take it slow.” Annabeth had an idea of what she was talking about, mentally noting to stay away from yellow plates.

The blonde thanked her and made way to say hi to Will, and honestly, figure out why he was there. She flopped down beside Nico, giving a small wave in greeting.

“What's up, Chase?” Nico asked casually.

“Not much,” Annabeth shrugged, “With you? I gotta say, Will, I'm a little surprised to see you here.” She gestured to the boys in question.

“Yeah, Nico asked me to come yesterday,” Will nodded. “Said he didn't want to be stuck alone with three, and I quote, _drunk, pining, sickly-sweet couples._ “

Nico smacked him over the chest at that, but Annabeth just blushed deeply. There weren't three couples, just Jason and Piper, that she knew of. And Thalia and Reyna, if the fact that they were currently making out on the sofa opposite of Annabeth, Will and Nico is anything to go by. But she and Percy...

“Percy and I aren't a couple,” she defended, her blush deepening.

Nico laughed, “Please, you two are the worst of them all. Literally, I look at you two together for three seconds, and I want to barf immediately. Just get together already!” he cackled again, and every word he said made Annabeth's cheeks go redder, if that was possible.

“But, we... we're not... I mean,- Percy and I are just friends,” she defended again, fruitlessly.

“Tell that to your blush,” Will teased, “Honestly, I haven't even seen you two together, but judging by your face, I'm pretty convinced in what Nico said.” The two laughed, and Annabeth just shook her head, trying to regain herself.

“So, I didn't know you guys were friends?” she attempted to change the subject, thanking every deity out there that it had worked. Nico and Will still chuckled for a second, but seemed to let go of the subject of Percy and Annabeth, probably deciding she had been embarrassed enough for the minute. So they just responded to her question.

“Yeah, _friends_ ,” Will laughed, taking Nico's hand.

“Oooh,” Annabeth's eyes widened, realization dawning on her, “Oh, you two-”

“Yeah,” Nico smiled shyly.

“How long?”

“About three months?” Will looked to Nico, who nodded, “But we've kept it quiet, just the people here know, so, I trust you'll keep quiet too?” he asked. Annabeth nodded frantically, never even dreaming of outing them. They're her friends, if they want to keep their relationship quiet, she had no say in it. And she supported them, and she cares about both of them, so she'll do as they ask, of course.

“Don't worry, my lips are sealed,” she smiled, “Well, congratulations. I'm really happy for you two. Thanks for trusting me with this, don't worry, I won't tell.”

“We know,” Will smiled.

Annabeth nodded, and then she decided to go and find the raven-haired boy. She hadn't seen him since she arrived, which, granted, wasn't that long, but she hadn't spoken to him all day, so she really itched to find him now. “So, um, where's...”

“Percy?” Nico arched an eyebrow, smirking at the blush creeping back up onto Annabeth's cheeks. He let out a quick chuckle, “Loverboy's in the kitchen. Been asking when you'll get here for over an hour. Maybe he'll finally un-zombie now, so we can really start the party.”

Annabeth shoved him into Will a little, shaking her head at the stifled laughter, got up, and went to find Percy. She really wondered what this party would look like once it “started”. It seemed to be going strong already. The concept of it now having yet started properly, at least according to Nico, scared her a little bit. 

Those thoughts disappeared as she rounded the corner to where Nico had pointed earlier, and saw just the person she was looking for. Percy was seemingly mixing margaritas, dancing along to the music blaring from the other room, quietly singing along to Fall Out Boy. Annabeth leaned her shoulder against the doorframe, chuckling at him. He must have heard her, as his head spun around to see where the sound had come from. As soon as their eyes met, Percy grinned at her, his beautiful, full smile, the one that reached his eyes and left cute little dimples in his cheeks. Annabeth felt her own smile widening in response.

“Hey there,” she greeted, pushing herself off the frame, and slowly walking towards him.

“Hello to you too,” Percy said once she reached him, “Took you long enough to get here. For a second there, I thought you'd ditched me,” he winked, bumping her shoulder with his and turning back to the counter, finishing up the margaritas.

“Hmm, I thought about it,” Annabeth teased, “But then again, I heard Thalia throws excellent parties.” They both laughed a little as he handed her a glass of the yellowish liquid. Annabeth took a sip from her own, “So, what's up? Haven't seen you all day.”

“Eh, not much really,” Percy shrugged, stirring his drink with a green straw, “I ditched last two classes, didn't really feel like staying for them. You?”

“Oh you know, same old,” Annabeth replied, “Got home, did some homework, and then came here. You know how it is.”

“Yeah, it's always the same with you,” Percy joked, the two of them slowly making their way to the rest of the party.

She didn't really have much time to just chat with Percy, truth be told. But they did have fun. The second they came back into the living area, where the party was taking place, Annabeth had understood what Nico meant by “get the party started”. It wasn't long before she had stopped counting her drinks, swaying on her feet a little if she moved a bit too fast. Out of all of them, she seemed like the lightest drinker, even if they had started drinking earlier. Reyna looked to be pretty much completely sober, even though she had drank almost as much as Thalia. The other girl seemed just a little off, but otherwise fine. Piper and Jason were too busy making out to really determine how drunk they were. Nico was a little tipsy definitely, but Will was worse. Okay, maybe Annabeth wasn't the worst one off in the group, she was definitely handling herself batter than Will. 

And the only person who was completely sober was Percy. Other than that margarita he had had earlier, and maybe two root-beers, he hadn't drunk at all. Most people would probably write him off as a party animal, someone who got completely wasted at parties and stuff, but Annabeth knew better. She knew why he wasn't drinking, but she didn't bring it up. No one did. That's not to say that Percy wasn't just as crazy as the rest of them. He was completely and utterly out of control, dancing, jumping around, singing and stuff. But that was just him having fun, he wasn't even a little bit tipsy.

Maybe three hours into the party, Thalia had brought in a few microphones, and thus, the karaoke-mess began. She was singing the entire time, her voice not as good as it was on stage that one night Annabeth had seen her and Nico play, but it was still clear that she sounded amazing if she concentrated. A little while after, much to everyone's surprise, Nico had jumped on the mic, and was singing some rock love song to Will, Annabeth didn't recognize which it was. Piper and Jason were cuddling on a beanbag, laughing at Nico's very out-of-character antics, with Jason filming the whole thing. Then it was Reyna and Thalia doing some weird duet to another song Annabeth didn't recognize. Jason sang some rap, standing up on the table, but it didn't get as many boos from the three rockers as much as Piper's attempt to sing One Direction. Reyna and Thalia had basically snatched the mic from her just before the second verse, turning on some Nirvana and singing along. Piper pouted for a while, but then shrugged and sang along. She probably knew trying to sing something like One Direction in a room full of punks, rockers and goths, and two girls who really liked the music, but didn't show it in their daily fashion sense or general behavior would not work.

Annabeth had refrained from singing at the mic, but she sang along from where she sat. Thalia had offered it to her multiple times, so she finally gave in and sang “Radio Ga Ga” with her and Reyna. She wasn't too bad, but she definitely wasn't singer-material. She wasn't up on the mic that much in the main light, but she would sing into it if someone offered it to her during their little performance. She kept an eye on Percy, who was just laughing or clapping along, but she hadn't heard him singing with them, not once. Again, she knew why he had stopped singing in the band, but she didn't know he stopped singing completely, unless he was alone. That one time he had sang before Annabeth in the park must have been a slip-up in silence. Other then then, Annabeth had never once heard him singing in front of other people.

So the party took an interesting turn when Thalia and Nico tried to convince Percy to sing. He had been very reluctant at first, refusing multiple times, but the two were persistent. Thalia decided to play dirty a little and used a move that only siblings can use.

“I dare you to sing,” she smirked and cocked an eyebrow. Everyone except Annabeth ooh-ed, knowing that one can't refuse a dare from their cousin, or they'll never live it down. Thalia had a triumphant grin on her face, and Percy was glaring up at her from his seat. Annabeth could see his jaw and shoulders tensing, knowing he was probably mulling things over far too much in his head. The others started chanting his name, which was definitely not helping the dilemma in his head. Annabeth knew that Thalia usually probably wouldn't do this, especially put him on the spot like that, but it was clear she was a little drunk and not thinking things through. Maybe she would've asked him if it was just her, Nico and Percy, and maybe Jason, but she was probably forgetting that not everyone in the room knew about Percy's secret and why he stopped singing and playing music. But again, she wasn't thinking straight, and so, she was putting him on the spot, under a very unwanted light.

Annabeth was just about to tell them to lay off and leave him alone. It was clear he was uncomfortable, more than uncomfortable, but Percy beat her to it. In a blink of an eye, he shot up and disappeared behind the corner. Everyone had stared after him, confused and a little shocked. Annabeth was just about to get up and go after him when Percy reappeared back in the room, chugging down a bottle of vodka. He hadn't completely emptied it, but he did drink enough at once for it to be pretty impressive. He slammed the bottle down and grabbed the mic from Thalia.

“Let's do this!” he grinned, and put on some song Annabeth didn't pay much attention to. Everyone cheered as he started singing, getting up and dancing, singing along and stuff, but Annabeth remained in her seat. She put on a grin as to not draw too much attention to herself, as beneath the surface, she was pretty worried about what was happening. She knew Percy was going pretty much against everything he did for God knows how long. She knew avoiding singing and playing had been his way of forgetting about the past. What he was doing at the moment was out of peer pressure of the others wanting him to sing, and the fact that he had to drink half a bottle of vodka at once to do it, proved that he couldn't do it in his right mind. He didn't appear drunk, but he had to be a little tipsy after a chug like that. 

It was the fact that he had to be at least tipsy to do what he was doing proved that he didn't want to do it. He seemed to be having fun, but Annabeth knew there was a big chance that he would regret it and feel bad in the morning. She knew he didn't want to do this, because if he had, he'd have taken that mic when it was first offered, and he wouldn't have gone and chugged half a bottle of vodka. He didn't want to sing, but he was because he wanted to get the others off his back. It wasn't right, but Annabeth said nothing about it. She knew pulling him away from that mic would put him on the spot even more, so she let him sing for now, but she just promised herself she would be there for him in the morning when the bad feelings came.

Annabeth lost herself in those thoughts and worry, staring at Percy with a continuously wavering smile. She caught him stealing glances at her more often than not, smiling at her and singing. Out of everyone that evening, Percy had the best voice by far. He was definitely an extremely talented singer, and half of Annabeth wished she heard him singing when he concentrated, because, much like with Thalia, his voice wasn't at its prime at the moment. It was beautiful none the less, completely intoxicating to Annabeth. She could listen to the sound of his voice forever, whether he was talking or singing, but it was a little odd hearing him sing. He sounded almost nothing like when he talked. He was so much calmer, and so much more excited at the same time. It was completely contrasting itself in every way. But the one constant was his voice being deep, but light, something one could listen to for hours and hours and hours and not get tired of it. It was just plain beautiful, even if beautiful didn't really do it justice.

It wasn't long after Annabeth found herself staring at him, a hint of a smile on her face. Whatever song he was singing faded out, and Percy smiled back at her. Annabeth chuckled to herself. Then, something lit up in Percy's eyes. Annabeth could imagine a lightbulb appearing above his head as he probably got some idea. He grabbed the phone that was connected to the speakers and playing the background music, and put on a new song. He walked over to Annabeth, grabbed her hand and pulled her up, just as Annabeth recognized the tune.

Annabeth stared at him for a second, and then laughed as the lyrics started pouring out of his mouth. He was singing [_“You're My Best Friend”_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaZpZQG2z10) by Queen. To her. He held her hand and twirled her around, the two of them doing some weird little dance as she laughed and he sang on. Annabeth found herself joining into the chorus, and singing the second verse solo. They went back and forth throughout the song, performing a completely unplanned, perfect duet. While Annabeth's voice was nowhere near as perfect as Percy's, she couldn't help but think they sounded amazing.

As the last lyric approached, Annabeth spun around, and somehow ended up wrapped into a hug, her back pressed to Percy's chest. He squeezed her tightly to himself, lowering the mic and singing the last line into her ear quietly. Annabeth closed her eyes for a second, letting herself enjoy the moment, but opened them before it got weird and pulled away from Percy, smiling up at him. His eyes were shining in the darkness, a small smile on his face. It was tiny, barely visible in the darkness, but it was sincere, and beautiful, and lit up Annabeth's entire world. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into another hug, a proper one this time.

“Ew, get a room, you two!” Nico complained, throwing an empty cup at them. Annabeth blushed and laughed as it bounced off Percy's head. He smirked and tossed the mic to Thalia, grabbing Annabeth's hand and pulling her away into the kitchen.

“Maybe we will,” he threw over his shoulder, making the others ooh and laugh, and Annabeth blush furiously. Percy smirked at her, still proud of the fact that he could make her blush. 

The night seemed to be going so perfectly, so amazingly, so of course, something had to go wrong and ruin it for them. And boy did things go wrong...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was that, I guess. I'll do my best to post the next chapter this weekend, but no promises. 
> 
> Also, the other Percabeth story I had mentioned a few times before will be delayed. Part of the reason I had kinda abandoned this story is me getting into some other fandoms, and getting ideas for those. So I think I'll take a little break after this story is done, post some stuff for different fandoms, and simultaneously try to get ahead with that Percabeth story, as I know I won't have as much time to write now that school's starting in a week. So yeah, I'll still be posting stuff, just probably not as often as I used to, and it will be some other stuff before I put out that next Percabeth story. So yeah, I guess that's something to look forward to. 
> 
> If you want to know which fandoms you might see, you can check out my Tumblr page, there's a pinned post at the top with a list of all the fandoms I'm in, but it'll most likely be some Maze Runner, Teen Wolf, Star Wars or maybe some Fantastic Beasts. I don't know yet, we'll see. But expect a lot of fandoms, because I'm planning a one-shot series that should be up soon, I just want to have a few one-shots ready before I start uploading. 
> 
> I don't know yet, we'll see. For now, I'm gonna go start the next chapter, do my best to put it up this weekend. Until next time! :D


	10. Finale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things go down, but they might also just start looking bright for Percy and Annabeth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaand, here it is! The long awaited finale! I am so sorry it took this long to get to it, but I really hope it's worth the wait, even if I'm not 100% on it. I'm not gonna go wind on about this here, let's just get to the chapter, there's stuff in the end notes about the epilogue and upcoming works, so check that out if you're interested! Now, onwards!
> 
> _**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own any of the characters in this story, or any of the songs or lyrics mentioned!_
> 
> _  
> _**WARNING:** This chapter contains mentions of unconsentual kissing!_  
>  _

Annabeth regretted throwing that picture across the room as soon as she heard the crunch and shatter of the broken glass of the frame. Struggling to gasp for breath through her gutwrenching sobs, she wiped the tears still streaming down her face, doing absolutely nothing to dry her cheeks and puffy eyes. She pushed herself off the bed weakly, walking over to the puddle of glass shards. She didn't care if she cut herself on the edges as she collapsed down beside the photograph on the floor.

How did it all happen? And how did it happen so fast? Just a few weeks ago, this was them – lying in the sun, laughing and beaming at each other. How were they smiling and laughing so much, enjoying being in each other's presence like that just those few short weeks ago, and now he couldn't even look at her? How did it all collapse in just one evening? How did she lose the one person she thought would always stand by her in just one conversation?

***

 _They were sitting at the bar-counter in Thalia's kitchen, the music blasting from the other room dulled down by the closed door. Percy had made them both milkshakes, and they were just sipping from their cups, talking about this and that. The sound of his singing voice still rang in her ears. She was positive she had never heard something that beautiful. He sounded so relaxed, so happy, so overjoyed, so Percy. She was pretty sure something bad would hit him in the morning, the bad memories of his days as the singer of the band, the nightmares from the past, because he had had to get at least a little drunk to sing, and he sang because of peer pressure of the others present at the party, but he did seem somewhat happy. Annabeth was sure she had never felt better than singing when she was singing_ You're My Best Friend _with him._

_“You were great out there,” she finally broke the silence they had fallen into. Percy looked up at her from his glass, eyebrows raised slightly in question. “When you were singing. You really sound great.”_

_“Uh, thanks,” Percy smiled shyly, looking back down to his milkshake, “I have to say, I missed it. I missed that feeling. It's not the same as being on stage, ya know, but I still missed it.”_

_“I get it,” Annabeth nodded, taking a sip from her glass, “I mean, I've never had or lost something like that, but I think I get what you mean.”_

_“Ya know, I've sung about a million times in my life before, but I think this one, singing with you, was my favorite,” he whispered. Annabeth looked up to see him staring at her with the softest smile she had ever seen. It was contagious, she couldn't help herself but respond in the same way. Percy had that effect on her, he managed to make her smile just by looking at her with those big, soft, painfully green eyes._

_“Really?”_

_“Yes,” Percy nodded, his smile spreading into a small grin, “So much that it almost made me want to give the whole music thing another go...” he looked back down at the marble counter._

_Annabeth reached over, cupping her tiny hand over his big one, squeezing it lightly, “Maybe you should. If you feel like it's the right thing to do. But if you think it'll hurt again, then don't. No one is forcing you into anything. The way they made you sing tonight wasn't right, but if it made you happy for even just a second, then I'm glad they did it. But whatever you decide, I'll be by your side.”_

_“You will?” he looked back at her, his eyes full of pure hope._

_Annabeth smiled, “Yes. Always.”_

_“Thanks, Wise Girl,” he squeezed her hand, smiling softly at her again._

_The two lapsed into silence after that, but it wasn't weird, but it also wasn't comfortable either. There was something on the tip of Annabeth's tongue, something she desperately wanted to say to him, but she couldn't pin-point it. She had had this feeling for a while now, something trying to claw its way out of her mouth and mind, but she didn't know what this something was._

_Thankfully for her, Percy broke the silence before she could blurt out something she didn't really understand. “Ya know, there's uh, there's something I've wanted to tell you. Um, something important. And, for, for a while now, but I guess I, uh, I never really knew how. But um, I guess now is as good a time as any. So, uh... I, uh...” He was fidgeting with his hands, avoiding her questioning gaze, and she could hear his foot tapping against the barstool. To be honest, Annabeth was a little concerned. Percy only got like this if it was something really important if he was really anxious over something._

_But before he could say anything further, there was a beep, and the screen of his phone tossed to the side lit up. Percy shot her an apologetic little smile and picked it up. It was well past midnight, so whatever it was, it had to be important. Annabeth nodded and waited silently for him to finish whatever was happening._

She assumes now that that's when things went wrong.

_Annabeth watched as Percy unlocked his phone, hiding the tiny smile she had on at the sight of the two of them on his lock-screen. She watched as Percy's lips formed a frown, and it deepened and deepened. His eyebrows scrunched up, and his gaze darkened. His lips parted as if he were to say something. And then they closed again. And opened again. And closed again. And again. And once more._

_But then he looked up at Annabeth, and she could feel her heart immediately drop, shatter just like that picture frame. Percy had never looked at her like that. Never, not once. Annabeth recognized so many emotions in them, in just that split second, even though she had never really seen them in his eyes, nor had she ever wanted it. There was hurt, pain, anger, rage. Betrayal. All directed at her._

_Then his expression darkened, and there was only anger. He let out a humorless chuckle in a breath, shaking his head once, and then he shot up from his chair and walked over to the door._

_“Percy?” Annabeth called out, confused, and hurt. He didn't look back, he just left the room._

_Reacting in a split second, Annabeth jumped off her chair and ran after him. She called his name out a few times, but he didn't turn around to face her once. She had to just catch up to him, and his stride seemed to take him worlds away with each step. He slammed the front door of Thalia's house as he exited, making Annabeth pause in shock just for a heartbeat, and then continue chasing after him._

_By the time she had finally caught up with him, they had already reached his mom's car. “Percy, wait!” she shouted as she grabbed him by the elbow. She almost got whiplash when he spun around and glared at her. She tried not to show how much it hurt her to see him looking at her like that, so she hid her pain when she finally opened her mouth to speak._

_But Percy stopped her before she even got a sound out. “Don't!” he hissed, ripping his arm out of her grip and taking a few steps back. “Just... don't.”_

_They just stood there for what was probably just a few seconds, even though it felt like a lifetime to Annabeth. Their eyes were locked, but she had a strong feeling they weren't conveying the same emotions. Annabeth had never, never, seen Percy look at anyone, let alone her, like that. Never. His green eyes which were always so, so vibrant and cheery, were dark and shadowed over. There was a cloud of anger, a film of pain over them, so many emotions swirling inside. In retrospect, as the image was seared into Annabeth's memory, Annabeth recognizes pain, anger, rage, a hint of disgust even._

_The blonde was confused. She had absolutely no idea why Percy was acting the way he did. No one single clue. She wanted to ask what was going on, but the words were stuck in her throat, suffocating her. All she could do was stare, stare and wonder what happened._

_But Percy did nothing to clarify it. He just blinked away the moisture in his eyes, let out a short breath, a humorless, ironic chuckle. He shook his head, the raven hair swishing around his face. And then he turned around, ran a hand over his face._

_“I thought...” Another sharp exhale._

_“I thought...” he shook his head, now inhaling sharply, perhaps even sniffling a little. Annabeth watched a tear slip down his cheek when he locked eyes with her again. A broken, cracked, hurt smile appeared on his lips as if he were laughing at himself, “Nevermind. I guess I was wrong...”_

_And with that, he got into the car and slammed the door behind him. It didn't take him more than a few seconds to turn on the engine and drive away, leaving Annabeth confused and hurt, shivering in the driveway._

_“Percy...” The name escaped her mouth with a breath she didn't know she was holding. Her lower lip trembled, tears pooling in her eyes, sobs hitched in her throat. She didn't let the tears fall, she didn't know why she would? Maybe it was the confusion, maybe it was the hurt at having Percy walk away like that. Maybe it was seeing tears in his eyes, the pain, the emotion she could not yet put a name to._

_She didn't know why she would cry, but she did know that the enthusiasm of the party had long since left her. Annabeth drew in a long, sharp inhale, a hint of a sniffle, and slowly walked back into the house, just to grab her jacket. She slipped out without being noticed by anyone, the three couples too busy karaoke-ing to notice what just went down between the two. She didn't waste time saying anything to them, just shot out a text to Piper, lying that she was tired and feeling a teensy bit sick, so she went home._

_There was a breeze blowing around her, gradually picking up speed and chill. Annabeth shivered and pulled the lapels of her jacket closer. It seemed normal for a late autumn night, but Annabeth couldn't help but feel as if nature was mocking her somehow. The rain that started falling not two minutes after she left Thalia's didn't help._

_She supposed it did have some benefits. Now she couldn't feel the tears that began rolling down her cheeks. She hadn't even noticed them until a sob broke out of her mouth. She quickly clasped a hand over her lips, locking any and all further noises. She would allow herself to cry, but she wouldn't let anyone hear it. Of that, she was determined._

_Her resolve collapsed the second she passed that one ally. The one where she had what probably should've been the worst night in her life, but had somehow fallen into third worst, maybe even second best. The one where she was pinned against the wall, a stinging on her cheek, struggling to break away from an iron grip. The one where, for the first time ever, Annabeth knew she could count on Percy, even if they had never even spoken properly before that. The night where their friendship began._

_Immediately, her mind shot to the best night she ever had, the one where they stayed up until God only knows how long, laughing and watching films, eating mini-calzones, and ice cream. The one when she fell asleep on Percy's shoulder, in his arms, and woke up in his bed in the morning._

_And then she instantly recalled what was sure to be the worst night of her life, and it was the one that was still going on. She didn't know what went down, not fully. She just knew that she hated the look in Percy's eyes, hated the way a tear dropped down his cheek, hated the way he seemed so hurt by something... by her. She hated it all. And she hated how nights that had started out so awfully were the ones that turned out to be the best, and the one that was so promising, so great, turned out like this._

_And she hated how, for the first time in a long while, she was alone through it. The one person that seemed to make her worst days perfect was beyond mad at her, probably hated her. The one person that could comfort her at that moment, drove away from her. True, Annabeth had a bunch of friends she could call, people who would drop everything to come and talk to her, but she didn't want them. She didn't want Grover, or Piper, or Thalia. She wanted Percy, and she knew that this time, and perhaps ever again, he wasn't coming..._

***

Annabeth didn't care about the tears streaming down her face, or the tiny cuts the glass left on her hands. Sniffling and wiping her nose on the back of her hand, she let out a sob and picked up the picture lying on the floor. It was lying face down, and the sight of it made Annabeth sob harder, despite having seen it just seconds before, clutching it to her chest as she cried, and then hurling it all the way across the room where it now lay.

It was one of the pictures she and Percy took the day they skived off school. They were in the park, with Annabeth on his back, her face buried into his cheek so that only the laughing crinkles by her eyes and the upturned corner of her mouth was visible. Percy's eyes were squinting, a bright, dimpled smile on his face. She could still hear their laughter – his laughter – in her head. It only made Annabeth sob and cry harder.

The last time Annabeth has spoken to Percy was Monday, following their fight. She hadn't spoken to Percy in three days now. At school, he completely ignored her at first, but then he probably got sick of her constantly trying to talk to him, so he snapped. The words still echoed in Annabeth's mind, and she hated it. She could still see his face, twisted in a way she had never seen before. She could still feel the sting of his words. She could still hear the hatred and quiver in his voice.

And she despised it. All of it. But never him.

***

_“Percy, will you please just talk to me?” Annabeth begged for the umpteenth time that day. She had been calling Percy all weekend, but he never answered. She spent every moment she wasn't in class trying to talk to him, but he never replied. She supposed the fact that he hasn't blocked her number was a bit of hope that whatever broke between them could be fixed. But now, when he spun around to face her, in the empty classroom following their third period, that hope went away._

_There was nothing friendly in Percy's eyes. There was anger, rage even. There were disgust and annoyance. There were hurt and betrayal. But mostly anger._

_And it all hurt Annabeth more than the night of the party._

_“Why don't you go talk to Luke? You two seem real friendly these days!” he snapped._

_Annabeth stared at him. What did Luke have to do with anything? Why was Percy mentioning him? What was Percy even talking about? These were all questions Annabeth wanted to ask, but she didn't get the chance to. Before she even opened her mouth to speak, Percy cut her off._

_“Don't bother, I don't care,” he said, “I don't care anymore. I was wrong. About us. Whatever we were. I just wished you'd told me what you wanted us to be because I would've been fine with anything. But not this. Not like this. I'm not someone you can pull along until you got bored of me and tossed me aside, because what you did,” he gestured between the two of them, “it hurts. And I really don't need that. So please, if you want to talk, go run along to Luke, because I don't want to talk to you. I can't even look at you anymore. Because I thought you were different. I really did think that. I guess I was wrong in the end.”_

_Percy's jaw was set tight, arms crossed over his chest, eyebrows scrunched, lips pressed into a thin line. His entire demeanor, everything about him - the way he stood, the way he carried himself, the way he spoke to her, and looked at her – all of it told her that he really didn't want anything to do with her. That he didn't want to talk to her. That he didn't even want to see her._

_Annabeth let her jaw hang open, looking for words, but not finding any. Something tightened in her chest, gripping her heart tight, squeezing it too tight. She felt as if the breath had been knocked out of her lungs, and the lump in her throat was choking the words trying to come out and air trying to come in. A sob hitched in her chest, but it didn't break out. She felt paralyzed, unable to move, unable to even think. His words rang out in her head._

__I don't want to talk to you.

I can't even look at you. __

_The spell she seemed to have fallen under was broken when she felt rather than saw her hand shoot out as Percy spun on his heel and marched away from her, not looking back once. She felt his name leave her mouth in a hushed whimper, and fresh tears slip down her cheeks._

_A chuckle echoed from the hallway, and the one person Annabeth least wanted to see appeared in the doorway, a devious, victorious smile on her face, twirling a strand of hair between her long claw-like nails._

_“I told you he was too good for you,” Drew cackled. Annabeth's hook away her tears, and pushed past her, Drew's laugh echoing behind her._

_She didn't stay for the rest of the classes. She went back to that park they were once laying on the soft grass in, her mind repeating his words, the sound of his voice ringing in her ears._

__I don't want to talk to you. __

_So Annabeth stopped trying to talk to him._

***

She had counted the days, hours, minutes since their last encounter. She hadn't gone to school for the following two days. That Thursday Percy hadn't been there. It has been exactly three days, two hours, and seventeen minutes since he told her he didn't want anything to do with her. And every passing second hurt more than the previous.

Dropping the photograph back onto the floor, Annabeth tried to collect herself. Enough tears were shed. Now thinking back on their last conversation, Annabeth felt anger bubbling in her. What did Luke have to do with anything? Why would Percy act the way he did? If it was because of the kiss, which was highly involuntary on Annabeth's part, Percy of all people should understand that it wasn't real. That it wasn't what she wanted. 

And besides, what does he even have to do with any of that? Annabeth can kiss whoever she wants. Percy has no say in that. It's not like he was her boyfriend, and she had cheated on him or anything. He doesn't get to get angry with her for things like that, he isn't Annabeth's boyfriend, or entitled in any way to tell her who she can or can't kiss. He's not her boyfriend, after all. Her best friend, yes, but not her boyfriend.

So why does it feel like a breakup?

Why does it hurt as if a piece of her chest had been ripped out? As if a part of her very soul was burned away? Why does it feel like she just lost all the light in her life? Why does it feel like she just lost the best thing that ever happened to her?

 _Because it's what you do Annabeth._ A voice in her head whispered. It sounded suspiciously like Drew Tanaka, but Annabeth paid no thought to that.

_This is what you do Annie. You chase people away. First darling ol' mom, then your dad, and now Percy. You chase away the people you care about. And they stop caring about you. Why would they anyway? You're nothing. That's why, in the end, you always end up alone._

Annabeth did her best to deny the words, to push them away. She still has people in her life. She still has Piper, and Hazel, and Grover, and Will, and all the others.

_It's only a matter of time, Annabeth. They'll leave too in the end. Just like mom, just like dad, just like everyone else. They'll leave just like Percy did._

“Shut up!” Annabeth screamed out loud, punching the desk to her side. She ignored the stinging in her fist, the pain of the collision with the hardwood. She bit down on her lip, not to help with that pain, but with the other kind. She bit down to stop the tears from falling again.

Reaching for the phone, Annabeth called the only person she could bear talking to at the moment. Piper picked up after just three rings. “Hello?”

“Why does it hurt this much?” Annabeth pleaded, a sob escaping her lips, “Why does it hurt like this? Why do I feel like a piece of me was ripped out? Why do I feel so empty without him here? Piper, why does it hurt this much?”

There was a pause on the other side, and the words that followed Annabeth had never expected but knew they were true immediately.

“Because you love him.”

And before she knew it, Annabeth was back in bed, turning off all the lights and burying herself in her blanket, mind lost in memories with the green-eyed boy, and cheeks stained with tears from crying herself to sleep for yet another night.

* * *

Things were different the next day. Annabeth didn't go to school yet again. Her dad let her take as much time off as she needed, and Piper and her friends were sending her the work she had missed. They probably thought she would get to it straight away, not wasting any time. She's Annabeth Chase, school comes first with her.

But not that day. Not then. Then, it was she who comes first. It was herself she thought about, and the green-eyed boy she had been crying over for the past five days. That day, she came first and healing herself. She could do it. She did it before, all on her own, and she can do it now.

The first and hardest part was letting go. Annabeth knew that.

So that's how she found herself before Percy's doorstep, taking in a deep breath, gathering strength to do what she had planned. She knocked on the simple brown door before she lost her courage and ran away. She had to do this. For herself.

The doors swung open not long after. Annabeth immediately recognized the scent of freshly baked cookies. But that all evaporated from her mind when the person behind the door came into view. 

For a second, he looked more like the Percy she knew, with a relaxed expression and demeanor. But when he registered who was on the other side, he immediately turned back into the boy she had spoken to in school. His jaw clenched, his shoulders tensed, his eyes darkened, and he moved to close the door right in Annabeth's face.

But the blonde was fast. She knew he would probably do something like this, and she was prepared. Quickly reaching up, Annabeth blocked the closing door. 

“I just need two minutes to say something,” she said, pouring all her sincerity into her eyes and words. She needed to do this. Not just for herself anymore, but for Percy too. He seemed just as affected as she did. “Please,” she begged.

She and Percy locked eyes for a moment, having a mini staring competition. His body language didn't change, but Annabeth considered the fact that he opened the door so they could both see each other properly a win. She might just have a shot at this.

Percy crossed his arms over his chest, tongue running over his teeth behind lips set in a tight line. He gave a curt little nod, and it was enough for Annabeth. She didn't need him to speak, she just needed him to listen.

She had her two minutes. It would be enough.

First, Annabeth took a moment to take him in. Despite his tense shoulders and tight jaw, he still looked so... Percy. White shirt and sweatpants. Green eyes that she had preferred when they shone with laughter and with crinkles decorating the sides. The lean, muscular build, tan skin, bold, perfectly arched dark eyebrows, the black bird's nest he called hair on top of his head, messier than usual. He must have been asleep. Even though the anger was nothing like him, he was still Percy.

“Well?” he shook his head in question, snapping Annabeth out of her daze. His voice was deep, confirming Ananbeth's thought that she probably just woke him up. It was gruff and raspy, but still soothing to Annabeth's ears.

“I...um...” she opened and closed her mouth, searching for the words. Percy arched an eyebrow, and Annabeth finally came to. She offered the black bundle in her hands, “, uh, I came to return this. I figured I should give it back.”

Percy's eyebrows scrunched in confusion and he tentatively reached out and took the neatly folded hoodie and shirt from Annabeth. He examined it, recognizing what it was. Annabeth could've sworn his expression softened. His jaw slacked a bit, his shoulders lost some tension in them. It was confirmed when he looked up, some of the anger and darkness in his eyes gone, the pain now more prominent. It broke Annabeth to see him so vulnerable, but she had to keep strong through this next part. For both of them.

“I guess I don't exactly know what to say here,” a humorless chuckle escaped her lips, and she sniffled dryly, “I really don't know what happened between us. I really don't. I don't know what I did to make you hate me this much, but if whatever it is I did hurt you this bad, then I want you to know that I am sorry. I am so, so sorry. It was never my intention. You're my friend, and I really, really care about you. 

“Actually, you're more than just my friend. Percy, you're my best friend. Even that doesn't describe it properly. I care about you more than I care about anyone else in my life. I care about you in a way I have never really cared about anyone. I feel things for you I never felt before. And it scares the hell out of me. Has ever since running away from those thugs with you that one night. I hadn't even realized the extent of it until this all happened, but I still care about you. In ways that even I can't find the words to describe. But I understand if you never wish to see me again, or speak to me, or anything at all. I understand, and I will respect whatever decision you make.

“I just... I want you to know, that I am sorry for whatever I did. I never meant to hurt you, Percy, never. I can't bear seeing you in pain, let alone coming from my hand. But it seems that despite my best efforts, it still happened. And I'm sorry. I guess I really do destroy everything I touch.”

For a moment there, Percy looked like he was about to say something, but Annabeth cut him off, wiping away the stray tear on her cheek. 

“I'm sorry. I really, really am sorry for whatever I did to hurt you this way. You mentioned Luke the other day, though I really don't know why. But you should know that there is absolutely nothing going on between me and Luke. I despise him from the bottom of my heart. What happened at the school last week was all him, and he has a bruise on his face to testify. I never wanted it, least of all with him.”

Annabeth looked down at her feet after that, not able to bear the weight of his gaze anymore. Percy looked just as pained as she felt, and she hated seeing him like that more than she hated seeing him angry. But there wasn't much she could do.

“I guess that's that then,” she sighed, shuffling her feet, “I just wanted you to know I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I hurt you, and I'm sorry things turned out this way. I never wanted this, but I guess I deserve it. I will understand if you never wish to speak to me again, but if you ever do, I will be there. If you never want to see me again, I'll get out of your way. Whatever decision you make, I'll respect it.

“But if this is goodbye, there is one last thing I want to say,” she looked up again, forcing a smile on her face, despite the tears rolling down her cheeks, “Thank you. Thank you a million times. For everything. You gave me my life back. You freed me. You showed me that there is more to life than just school. You showed me how to live. You gave me some of the best memories I ever had. You gave me a friend who was always there by my side, supporting me when I was the most alone. You gave me hope, and freedom, and so much more. I just regret that I wasn't able to do the same for you. But for all you did for me, thank you. 

“Thank you, Percy, thank you a million times. You made my world so much brighter, you made my life so much happier. Thank you for being my friend and so much more. You're the best person I ever had the pleasure to meet, and you deserve so much more than me. You deserve all the best in this world, and all the other worlds out there. 

“I really hope you'll find your heart to forgive me, but I'll understand if you don't. I just wanted you to know that I am sorry and that I am beyond thankful for everything you brought into my life. I wish you all the best in the world, because you deserve it, and so much more.” She wiped away the tears from her eyes, letting out a shaky breath and forcing a smile. There were tears in his eyes too, but Annabeth had to last just this tiny bit longer. She forced on a smile, “I won't bother you anymore. Just... Thank you, Percy. For everything. And I'm sorry.”

With one last forced smile, Annabeth spun around on her heel and marched back down the corridor, not turning to look back at the green-eyed boy who managed to capture her heart in just these past couple of weeks. She didn't look back as she descended down the stairs. She didn't see him staring after her, the gears in his head spinning, his heart shattering, because, in the end, he was hers just as much as she was his. She didn't see him look back down at the folded hoodie in his hands, and she didn't see him make up his mind. If she'll have him, in the end, he would always be hers. And Annabeth didn't look back as she exited the building, and she didn't hear him running after her.

Until she did.

“Annabeth!” he called out, and her heart immediately skipped a beat. She froze in place and slowly turned to face him. And her whole world lit up again because this was _him_. This was her Percy, not the pained, or angry boy she had been encountering the past few days.

These were his eyes, shining green and void of darkness, shoulders relaxed, the lines between his eyebrows gone, jaw slackened, and lips that weren't forming a frown. This was her Percy, the boy she knew so well. The boy whose smile she knew better than her own name, and whose tears she had seen and was pained by more than she would've hurt if she was hit by a truck. This was her Percy, and Annabeth was delighted.

She quickly swiped her hand over her cheeks, chasing away the tears that had begun to freely fall down her cheeks after she had turned away from him. She looked up and met his vibrant eyes with a question behind her stormy ones, and hope swelling in her chest despite the odds.

He extended the bundle in his arms back to her, “Take it.”

Annabeth just observed him, confused beyond belief.

“I want you to have it. If you don't want it, feel free to burn it or throw it away or something, but I wanted to give you this. I gave it to you for a reason then, and it still stands now. Always has, and always will.”

Annabeth reached out and gingerly took it from Percy, smiling sadly to herself. She looked back up at him, to find him staring at her with a distant look as if he were pondering something. 

Then it was as if a lightbulb had appeared above his head. His eyes cleared in some form of realization, and his face lit up just that tiny bit. He pressed his lips together before speaking, “Listen. Tonight, Jason will come to pick you up at seven. There's a thing tonight, he'll take you there. If you're still willing to talk to me, come and find me after. There's so much I want to say to you, but I don't know how, so I'm gonna do it the only way I know. So if you are still willing to give me another chance, and trust me, I have been a class A asshole this past week, I'll understand if you don't, then come with Jason tonight, and come find me after the thing, okay?”

To say that Annabeth was confused would be an understatement. His haste declaration and explanation were confusing, and vague and kinda ominous, but Annabeth trusted him. She just nodded, unsure of what she was signing up for.

But she knew it was worth it when Percy's face lit up in a way she had last seen at the party. He broke into a grin, a smile she missed dearly. His eyes shone brighter than before, the green somehow seeming more green than ever before, and she loved it, even though she didn't think it was possible. In all honesty, it shouldn't be possible for someone to have eyes as beautiful as mesmerizing as Percy's. Then again, it shouldn't be possible for a person as perfect as Percy to exist, and yet, there he was, and Annabeth was proud to call him her friend, or whatever they were at that moment.

“Great!” Percy finally spoke through the grin, “I hope I'll see you tonight then.”

“Yeah,” Annabeth nodded, still highly confused, but rolling with it. She trusted Percy. 

The boy nodded and turned to walk away, Annabeth doing the same. She didn't make it three steps away when she heard him call out again, “You know what?”

Annabeth barely had time to turn around again, let alone ask what was up, but she didn't mind. Just as she spun on her heel, she found herself in her favorite place in the world. Percy's arms wrapped around her back, one arm around her waist and lower back, and the other around her shoulders. She felt him pull her tighter to himself, just as they used to hug just a week prior. Annabeth responded automatically, burying her face into the crook of his neck, squeezing her eyes shut and chasing away the happy tears from her eyes. Her arms wrapped around Percy's shoulders, clutching him to herself just as tightly as he was. She inhaled his scent, relishing in the smell of the sea that seemed to follow him wherever he went.

_Seaweed Barin..._

“Thank you;” Percy whispered in her ear, his breath tickling Annabeth a little, “Thank you so much, for all the same reasons. I don't know where I'd be without you. I don't want to know. And I'm sorry. This is my fault. I'm so sorry...”

“It's okay...” Annabeth whispered to him, somehow sounding both encouraging and comforting and sad at the same time. 

They pulled away far too soon, both of them with tears in their eyes and small smiles on their faces. Percy nodded and walked away, and Annabeth watched him enter his building once more until he was out of her sight. She turned on her heel and walked down the street back to her house. She already missed Percy, his presence, the comfort he provided, but for now, she was happy. They had a chance to fix all this. They had a second chance. And for now, that was enough.

* * *

Annabeth had spent the following few hours in a daze. She was still very, very confused about what was going on. Percy had been pretty cryptic, and he didn't give her that much on what was happening that evening. Only that Jason would pick her up at seven, and come find him after whatever was going on was finished.

But he did give her a lot to think about. Everything she said to him that afternoon was truly, completely, 100% honest, from the heart. She meant every word. Percy means the world to her, more than the world. The past few weeks, two months even, have been the best of her life. She actually felt alive, human, not like a robot with one goal and one focus. There were other things she cared about, other than work and school. She spent both more and less time with her friends. More often than before, but in shorter periods. Less because she was usually hanging out with Percy.

He was more than just her best friend now. There wasn't a right word to describe what he was to her. A lifeline of sorts, a light in the dark, a warmth in the winder, her north star. He was more than anyone else she had ever met. Piper was her best friend, but Percy was too, in every way, and even more. She had never really experienced something like that. It was frightening, but also so amazing at the same time. In truth, she loved that feeling.

And Annabeth waited eagerly for seven to come. She counted minutes, hours, not being able to focus on anything but the hands on her kitchen clock. Her dad was in the office, and she had already left a note for him. She was just sitting there, dressed in a simple silver shirt and black jeans, a leather jacket ready to go. She was counting down the last 476 seconds before Jason was supposed to pick her up.

_432... 364... 198... 73... 56... 47..._

_30... 20... 15... 10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5...4..._

_3... 2... 1..._

And as the hand struck the hour mark, Annabeth grabbed her jacket and left the house. She was far too eager, but she couldn't wait any longer. She needed to get out of the house, to know that whatever was happening, was indeed happening.

Thankfully, Jason, being the punctual individual that he was, was never late. Annabeth hadn't been waiting a full minute, and the next thing she knew, there was a light blue Mercedes pulling up by the curb. Annabeth grinned and made way for the car.

“Hey!” she greeted, sliding into the backseat. Jason and Piper spun in the front seats to greet her, both dressed casually with sly smirks on their faces. The look they had in their eyes worried Annabeth a tiny bit as if they knew something she didn't.

“Hey!” Piper reached out for a weird hug. Jason just waved. “Ready to go?”

“Mm-hm,” Annabeth nodded, “But where exactly are we going?”

Jason chuckled, “You'll see.”

And with that, he started the car and drove off. Annabeth leaned back in her seat, looking out of the window at the buildings they passed on the way. The streets were full, it was a bit of a block, but the car went smoothly down the road. Annabeth wondered where they were going, lightly tapping her foot to the rhythm of some pop song on the radio. She smiled inwardly, imagining what Percy or Nico or Thalia would say of the choice of music, and a few choice words came to mind. They really didn't like pop.

Annabeth was startled out of her thoughts when she felt the car come to a halt. She leaned forward a bit, taking in the view of a bit of a rundown building, with some neon, blacklight club. Her eyebrows scrunched in confusion. What were they doing at a club?

“Come on, we're gonna miss it!” Jason called out, unbuckling his seatbelt and getting out of the car. Annabeth and Piper followed in suite.

As they walked up to the door, Annabeth's mind raced with possibilities of what they might be doing here. Maybe Thalia and Nico were playing? But why didn't Percy come to pick her up then? Maybe he was helping out with the equipment? Even if he was, there was plenty of time for them to talk before. Maybe... Was he...

Her thoughts were cut off when they were finally let in by the bouncer. Annabeth followed Jason and Piper to a big room, filled with booths and tall tables with barstools on the sides of the room, the center cleared out for dancing. There was a bar with a huge assortment of alcoholic drinks on one side of the room, and a small, elevated platform opposite the entrance. Speakers lines it, a mic stand ready. People were milling about, finding seats in the darkened room, grabbing drinks, and probably waiting for the music to start. Colored lights danced around the room as Annabeth held onto Piper's shoulder. They were both following Jason, who seemed to know where he was going.

“Great, you're here!” a female voice called out, regal and yet excited. Reyna came into view, standing up from one of the larger tables on the left side of the room. She grabbed Jason's wrist and pulled the three of them to the table where Will was sitting. He waved in greeting.

“Traffic,” Jason shrugged.

Will snorted, “Welcome to New York City, dude. Sit down and shut up now, they're almost on.”

“Uh, what's going on?” Annabeth asked, shrugging off her jacket and sitting down between Reyna and Jason.

“Shh, it's starting,” the black-haired girl waved her off.

And she wasn't wrong. Annabeth was just about to start asking more questions when the colorful lights went out. There was a short cheer from all around, as the music started. A few high-pitched beats before the guitars kicked in. Annabeth immediately recognized the hard rock, finally noticing that her group stood out strikingly among the punk crowd.

_“Baby, innocence,  
One day gonna be a decadence...”_

The lyrics began, in a deep voice, one that was so familiar, and yet strange at the same time. She knew that voice. That voice was a beautiful melody in every tone, every way. When it was angry, when it was sad, when it was overjoyed, when it was exciting. It was perfectly paced and in tune. She had only heard it once before in this setting, and that once was nothing compared to what she was hearing. This was the voice at its fullest, at its prime. It was perfect.

And when the chorus kicked in and the stage lights went on, Annabeth saw once more that he was perfect too. As he shouted out the chorus with Thalia, Annabeth watched in awe, her mouth ajar, a look of utter shock and disbelief on her face. But there was also pride and joy and warmth spreading through her body.

Up there, on that stage, with a black and red guitar slung over his shoulder, in a leather jacket, ripped jeans and black shirt splashed with bright, neon colors, was her Percy, singing into a microphone. His hair fell into his face a little bit, just as messy as always, all his piercings in place. Their eyes locked immediately, and Annabeth didn't miss how his lips upturned just slightly as he sang along with Thalia. Nico was on the drums, providing the rhythm, and the spiky-haired girl had a black bass with neon green strings, both of them playing with joy in their eyes. 

All three of them poured all they had into the songs, and it was amazing. The atmosphere was unbelievable. Annabeth had seen the crowd when Thalia and Nico played, but this was different. They hadn't even gotten two verses into the song, and Annabeth immediately noticed how everything in the performance changed with Percy there. Just in those two verses, it was evident that he was born to be a showman. The crowd loved him. He commandeered the small stage they were on, leading the crowd's mood this way and that. It was clear that he was born to this, that it was a part of his charm. Annabeth should've known, Percy always had that ability to silently commandeer whatever room he found himself in. It was just much more visible with him on stage because by the time the chorus kicked in again, the crowd sang along with him and Thalia.

Annabeth couldn't find it in herself to sing with them, even if her friends shouted out the lyrics with everyone else. Her eyes were locked on Percy, just watching him play. She watched his arms move in sync over the strings, she watched as he walked around a bit, as he played along with Thalia. Her mouth was open, but no longer in that shell-shocked 'o' shape, but in a slowly widening smile. Percy had broken eye contact with her after the first chorus, taking his focus to the stage and crowd, but every now and then, he glanced back to their table. To her. She could see him smile slightly as he kept singing. 

Annabeth had never felt more proud of him. He did it. He actually did it. He picked up the guitar again. He is playing again. He is singing. He is doing what he was born, destined to do. He overcame the fear, conquered the pain, and he's at it again. And Annabeth had never felt happier for him. Her smile didn't falter once, it didn't shrink, it just kept getting bigger and bigger.

By the time the first song ended, the crowd was really hyped up, cheering and applauding. Annabeth watched Percy lock eyes with her and grin. He winked her way, before he turned back to the crowd, grabbing the mic from the stand.

“Whoooo!” he cheered, the crowd following with him, “What's up everyone?! Thank for that, guys!” he grinned as the crowd calmed down, introducing the band. “We're 'The Phantom Revolution', and that was our song [“Expectations”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oh92mave0M0). We've got a couple more for ya tonight, so let's just dive into it, don't want ya getting bored with me yappin' on.” The crowd cheered in agreement. Percy chuckled into the mic as he put it back into its place, picking up the neck of his guitar again, “Alright then!”

And the music picked up once more. Songs flew by, one by one, every next one different than the previous. The crowd was ecstatic through it all, and the band – Percy – didn't drop their smiles. As the night went on, it became more and more evident to Annabeth just how good of a musician he was. Percy played with his heart and soul in the song, the riffs fast and complicated, but he played them with ease. He wasn't even looking down on his guitar that much, as Thalia was, he just played. And the crowd absolutely loved him.

But none more than Annabeth. Her heart soared whenever he looked back at her, whenever he smiled at her through the songs, whenever he started singing again. She moved along with her friends, not singing, just smiling, and enjoying seeing Percy so happy. She could almost forget their argument, because, at that moment, that night seemed so long ago, so far away. It was as if she were in a different dimension. That's how submerged in the show she was. That's how good of a showman Percy was.

Every song was different. All of them were rock songs, but none were the same. The transitions between them were either super smooth, or really sharp, but always fit perfectly with the songs before and after them. Nico had a long drum solo in one song, absolutely killing it. Thalia got a minute to just play bass on her own, a funky groove shaking the room. The crowd loved every second of it. Time seemed to blur together for everyone, and before they knew or wanted it, the show came to an end.

When the drums faded on the last song, Percy stepped away from the mic, slinging his guitar off his shoulders, and taking an acoustic one from a waiter handing it from backstage. He walked back up to the mic. His eyes locked with Annabeth's once more, and they stayed on her as he spoke.

“Wow! Thank you all so much for coming here tonight. You guys were really amazing!” The crowd cheered. Percy picked up once more after it died down, “Seriously guys, thank you all for coming here tonight. We really loved it, and we hope you did too. Right now, we've got one more song for you before we go.

“This song is very different from everything else we played tonight. But this song is incredibly special to me. This song is for one special girl. A girl who hasn't left my mind for God only knows how fucking long. A girl who gave me the two best months of my life. The amazing girl who deserves the world. I've been a real fucking asshole to her, but I want her to know that I am sorry for everything that has happened between us. That it is my fault, and that I should've listened to her instead of walking away. This song is for a girl who deserved the Sun, the Moon, and all the stars in the sky. She may not have them yet, but if she'll take me back, she has all of me. Always.

“This next song is called [“When The Day Met The Night”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4Jaqb4sA1E), and this song is for you, Wise Girl.”

Annabeth stared at the boy on the stage, her mouth ajar, tears already pooling in her eyes as he spoke and started strumming the strings of the guitar. The crowd was quiet, following Percy's line of sight and staring at Annabeth. She probably should've felt embarrassed, under the limelight like that, but she wasn't. Her eyes were locked on the black-haired boy on the stage, memorizing the way his eyes sparkled during his little speech. He hadn't looked away from her once while he spoke, and she knew from the way his voice dropped low and his eyes shone that he meant it. He really meant it. 

But it was the song that dealt the final blow. Tears spilled from her eyes, running down her cheeks. Not sad tears, like they had been this past week, but happy, overjoyed tears. There was a warmth spreading through her, a feeling she couldn't quite put into words. It was a giddiness, a joy like she hadn't felt before. It was a fist clenched around her heart, but not in a way that was crushing her, but helping it beat. There was a light in her eyes, and it came from Percy. From Percy, and his words.

_When the moon fell in love with the sun_  
All was golden in the sky  
All was golden when the day met the night... 

Annabeth recognized that part. It was the bit he recited to her when she asked him about the favorite song he had ever written that day at the park. Seems that he finished it. And it was for her? Did he really write that song for her?

Annabeth watched him sing with a small, awed smile on her face. Tears ran down her cheeks slowly. She absolutely loved the song. It was perfect. He was perfect. He didn’t break eye contact with her as he sang, Thalia and Nico and their friends slowly clapping along to the beat with the rest of the crowd. Percy sang, his voice carrying through the room, straight to her. The sound of the guitar followed it. It was perfect. He was perfect. And Annabeth loved him.

_She loved him._

She loved him with every cell in her body. She adored him. She loved him ever since that day in the ally, ever since their little milkshake in the wee hours of the night after completing their project. She loved him ever since their sleepover and day at the park. She loved him. She loved all of him. To her, he was everything, and she hadn’t really realized just how much she needed him until that weekend. She hadn’t realized just how much he mattered to her until she lost him.

He wasn’t just her best friend. He wasn’t just the love of her life. He wasn’t just her constant, the rock to lean on. He wasn’t just a shoulder to cry on, and a joker to laugh with. He wasn’t just the best person she ever met. He was a part of her very soul, a part of her being. He was… _Percy_. If there’s a word to describe all the best things in the world, it would be Percy. It would be his name. It would be _him_.

He gave her a life, he gave her a reason to exist, he opened her eyes. He showed her the world and all its wonders. He showed her things she could never imagine. He showed her what it was like to have a true friend. He showed her what it was like to care for someone so deeply. He made her feel indescribable things. The warmth around her heart whenever she thought about him, it was all _him_ He made her feel things she believed to be impossible, things out of a fairytale. He made her feel alive. He made her feel loved.

And if he’ll have her back, she’s his. Now and forever.

When the song ended, the lights went out, and a big cheer spread through the room. Annabeth wasted no time. She shot up from her seat, leaving her jacket and phone behind, and made her way through the thick crowd. She broke through the door to the backstage, the bouncer there not paying her any mind, and she wove her way through the narrow corridor, looking for where Percy was.

She needed to get to him now. There’s so much she wants to say to him, so so much she needs him to know. There are so many words unsaid, things left unspoken between them. He needs to know just how much she cares about him. She just needs him to know that.

Annabeth found him after she rounded the corner. They both froze in place for a second, taking in the sight of each other. She watched his eyes widen and grin when he saw her. She was doing the same. A smile crept onto her face as she took him in. His hair was matted to his forehead from sweat, skin glistening. But Annabeth didn’t care. She didn’t care that he was sticky and sweaty and smelly, she just ran.

The blonde surged forward towards him, and they met halfway between them, colliding in a hug like none they sharted before. Annabeth buried her head in Percy’s shoulder, taking in the salty smell of the ocean that was still present on him. She was swept off her feet when Percy picked her up, back arching as held her close. Their grips on each other kept tightening with each second, holding onto one another as if it were the end of the world.

Perhaps, in a way, it was for them. Life as they knew it changed at that moment. It all changed that evening.

And for the better.

They pulled away slowly, but still remained just inches apart, Annabeth’s arms linked behind Percy’s neck and his wrapped around her waist. He had to lean down a bit to look her in the eyes, so their foreheads were practically touching. But in such proximity, even in the darkness, Annabeth couldn’t help but get lost in the endless, deep green. She had said it a million times, and she’ll say it a million times more, but he had the most beautiful eyes ever, it was unfair.

“I finished the song,” he whispered, barely audible even with how close they stood.

“Mm-hm,” Annabeth nodded, barely even moving her head.

“Did you like it?” Percy asked, hope in his voice.

“I loved it,” Annabeth smiled. It was just an upwards twitch of her lips, but it was sincere. “Did you really do that for me?”

“Yes,” Percy replied simply, “I did. Back when I told you that little verse, in the beginning, I told you I still didn’t understand what it really meant. I do now. It’s you. After what happened today and this past week, I’ve finally realized. It’s you. It’s always been you.

“Annabeth, I meant what I said there on stage. I’m so, so sorry. I was a dick, an asshole. I should’ve talked to you, I should’ve listened. I never should’ve just walked away like that. And when I said that I’ve had the best two months of my life with you, I meant it. You made everything so, so much better. And I cannot tell you just how grateful I am for the time we spent together like that. You are truly the most amazing person I’ve ever met, and you deserve the world. You deserve so much more. The Sun, the Moon, the stars. All of it. But I can’t give you that. All I can offer you is my heart, which you’ve captured basically the first moment I saw you, I only just realized recently. You really are the best thing that’s ever happened to me. You’re the Sun in my life, you’re the Sun from the song. You’re everything to me, and you deserve so much more than me.”

He paused, searching her eyes for something. Annabeth just stared at him, mulling over his words in her head, not quite believing what she was hearing. Did he actually feel the same way?

Percy let out a short sigh, “Truth is, I love you, Annabeth Chase. I love you. There really isn’t any other way to say it. I love you with every inch of my being, with all my heart. And I’ve loved you for a while now. But I said nothing because I feared that I’d ruin the friendship we had. And I wanted to say it back to the party, but then Drew sent me a photo of you and Luke, and I was just angry. I felt betrayed. 

“And I was wrong. I never should’ve listened to Drew. I never should’ve believed what she said and ignored the girl I love like that. And for that, I’ll never stop being sorry. I’ll regret it forever. I was horrible to you when you deserve nothing but the very best. But, if you’ll have me if you’ll give me another chance, then I promise you, I’m gonna do better. I’m gonna be better. I’ll give you everything I can, I’ll pluck every star from the sky for you. I’ll never stop trying to make up for this. Because I love you, Wise Girl. I love you, and nothing will change that. And I understand that you probably don’t feel the same way and that after how I’ve behaved recently, it’s perfectly reasonable for you to hate me, but I needed you to know. I just needed you to know the truth, and I’m glad I told you, no matter the outcome.”

His eyes bore into Annabeth’s. The green clashing with her grey. They were sincere, more sincere than they had ever been. They were searching hers for something, anything. But no response came from Annabeth. She was shell-shocked.

_I love you, Wise Girl._

_I love you, Wise Girl._

_I love you, Wise Girl._

His words kept repeating in her head. He actually said it. The thing she had been wishing secretly for so long, the feeling she had been trying to suppress for so long, he actually felt the same. He _loves_ her. Percy Jackson _loves_ Annabeth Chase. 

“Well? Say something?” he let out a weak chuckle, trying to bring out any kind of response out of Annabeth, but nothing came from the blonde. She just kept staring at him, mouth hanging open just slightly, his words repeating in her head.

How had she not seen it before? How had she not noticed? It was so obvious, in everything they did. Not just in the sleepover and being there for each other in tough times. It was the small things. The way they said each other’s names. The way they sometimes held hands or hugged as they walked. The way the stole glances at one another in class. It was the late-night texts and drives in the moonlight, rock music blasting from the car. It was _them_. It was just both of them, and they never even caught it. In one another, or even in themselves.

Now it really did make sense why everyone used to call them a couple, why Nico said they were worse than the three actual couples at the party, even though Annabeth didn’t see it that way. It all finally made sense. The feeling in her chest, the comments their friends made, the bond with Percy. It all made sense at last.

“Annabeth?” Percy called out again, pulling away just slightly, his eyes now losing the hope they held. That brought Annabeth back, and she did the one thing she should’ve done so very long ago.

In the blink of an eye, the gap between them lessened to nothing, and they were one. Truly and finally. Their lips crashed together, a sloppy squish of lips until Percy got over his initial shock, and they moved in sync. It was a mix of lips, breath, and teeth that had been waiting to happen for so long, and it finally came to life. It was all the emotions the two felt, finally coming out into the light through the touch. It was the connection, the pull between them that was there from day one finally bringing them together. It was Percy’s strong arms wrapped tightly around Annabeth’s waist, her hands gripping the nape of his neck and the back of his hair. It was them. It was Percy and Annabeth. They were one from the start, a perfect duo. It was just _them._ And it was perfect.

When Annabeth pulled back, she grinned, the skin on her lips tingling from the kiss. “I love you too, Seaweed Brain.”

A smile like she had never seen before spread over Percy’s face. It reached all the way up to his eyes, the green orbs sparking. It lit up the room. It brightened Annabeth’s world. It made her feel warm. A chuckle escaped his lips, a disbelieved, overjoyed breath. His smile seemed to just keep getting brighter, happier. And Annabeth couldn’t help but copy it.

And then their lips found each other again.

And the world slowed down.

And time stopped and stood still.

And it was just them, standing there as one.

And it was the perfect duo, the one true pair, finally coming together.

And it was perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And, there we have it folks! The last chapter. I really hope you enjoyed this fic, I had a lot of fun writing it. I'm sorry these past few updates were all over the place, and not really the best, and I know the upload schedule is really screwed up, but it is what it is. But even with all that, I am proud of this fic, and I really put my heart and soul into every bit of it. Once more, I really hope you liked it.
> 
> As promised, there will be an epilogue coming soon, probably next week. I'm divided between these two ideas, so if you guys want to see any of these, please drop your favorite concept, or any ideas you might have, in the comments:  
> -Christmas;  
> -Annabeth/Percy's birthday.
> 
> Once more, I really loved this fic, and I hope you enjoyed it too. Thank you for giving it a chance, and thank you for all your support. It truly means the world to me. Your lovely comments made me want to keep going with this, and they brought a huge smile on my face whenever I read them. I tried to reply to all of them in the best way possible and as fast as I could. But honestly guys, thank you for reading this, thank you for the kudos, the bookmarks, thank you for the comments, thank you for the support, the lovely words. Thank you for being awesome. I love you all!
> 
> As for any future Percabeth stories, I'll be taking a little break from this pairing for a little while. I'm gonna work on maybe some one-shots, because I have officially started working on a new Percabeth fic, one that will be a lot longer and a lot slower-paced, and will include more of other characters besides Percy and Annabeth. But I'm also working on some stuff for other fandoms, so I want to have at least the first six or seven chapters pre-written, so in case I ever lose some motivation or don't have time to write like I did with this one near the end, I'll have some stuff already prepared. The chapters will be 8-12k words long (I think), just as this one, so the updates will probably be slow. 
> 
> But we'll see all that when I actually start posting it. Like I said, for now, I'm maybe gonna post some short one-shots in between this fic and the new one, to keep y'all entertained, and we'll see for the stuff that comes after. There will be stuff from and for other fandoms too in the mix, so there's something to look forward to.
> 
> As always, if you wish to contact me, I'm on Tumblr ([astralda0602](https://astralda0602.tumblr.com/)), or you can just ask me anything on here, in the comments or wherever. Just as it is on any other chapter, feedback is welcome and much appreciated. Like I said, I love reading your comments, and I'd really like to hear your thoughts on this finale. And once more, for the epilogue, please tell me which idea you prefer, or I might just have to roll a dice and see. 
> 
> Anyway, that's all for now. I'll see you guys on the epilogue next week, and hopefully, in future works! Thank you all for everything one more time! I love you all, you're the best! <3


	11. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The long awaited conclusion of the story - Annabeth and Percy attend the Winter Formal dance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit, I actually finished this! I can't believe this epilogue is finally done. I'm sorry for such a long wait, this did not want to write itself, but it's also super long, so I hope that somewhat makes up for the wait. I'm not gonna go on here long, everything I have to say is in the end notes.
> 
> For now, enjoy this hopefully lovely closure of the story!

Annabeth Chase liked to think she had her life figured out. She was going to a good school, she was the top of the class, had some great friends, a bright-looking future, and a dream. She couldn’t really complain about anything. Sure, not everything was perfect in her life, but she was happy. Beyond happy actually. Because in the past four months, Annabeth’s life completely turned upside down, and it changed for the better.

At the beginning of the school year, there was quite a long list of things Annabeth frowned upon and found impossible. But now, things were different. She was more laid back, more relaxed. She was still a straight-A student, with an almost perfect record. But she’s done things she never thought she would.

First, she skived school. More than once. Second, she started going out, with friends. She actually started putting effort into her social life, and actually spent time with friends. They went out for lunch after school, they hung out in the park, they went for walks. Third, she started getting into music. She started actually listening to music intensely, and punk–rock of all things. She started going to concerts and actually having fun. Four, she repaired her relationship with her father. They actually spent time together these days, and not just when passing each other in the hallway. Her life completely changed, and all because of one person.

Because, five, Annabeth Chase fell in love.

Yes, she actually did. She did the one thing she thought she never would. She fell in love. And with the one boy she thought she would never even become friends with, but it turned out to be the best decision she’s ever made. Because that boy completely turned her life upside down. He lit up her world, opened her eyes to all its wonders. He gave her a life worth living, one that didn’t solely revolve around getting As and getting into the best college she could.

And some time along the way, on their crazy ride as best friends, they added one other title to each other. Boyfriend and girlfriend. Seaweed Brain and Wise Girl. Because somewhere on the journey they went on after that one blessed Latin project, Annabeth Chase and Percy Jackson fell in love.

* * *

Annabeth had never particularly cared about school dances. She was often one of the organizers, and she loved that, but she rarely cared about attending the dance. Piper and Hazel managed to drag her along on a couple, though Annabeth almost always found a way to slip out unnoticed. She enjoyed herself plenty in the first two, maybe three hours if it was a more relaxed party, but after that, she'd usually just find herself back home, in pajamas, reading a book she had probably read a million times before. Dances were fun so long as she had her friends around, but after a while, she, Piper, and Hazel always managed to somehow part, whether to dance with other boys or girls or to just hang with some other friends of theirs. So Annabeth usually just took that as her cue to leave. It gets dull after a while anyway, what with everyone drinking and/or making out.

This time though, Annabeth was stoked. She was actually looking forward to the dance. The winter formal was coming up, and she sure as hell wanted to go this year. Because this year she had a reason to go, other than Piper blackmailing her with something. That is, she had a reason, if her Seaweed Brain of a boyfriend remembered to actually ask her to be his date.

“Wait, he still hasn't asked you?” Piper shrieked, throwing herself onto her giant bed and hugging a fluffy orange pillow to her chest.

“Nope,” sighed Annabeth, dropping her backpack by the door to Piper's room and sitting herself down on the lazy bag. “I'm seriously wondering if he even will. The dance is only a week away, and he still hasn't done a thing!”

“Okay, first of all, never, not in my wildest dreams, would I have imagined that one day Annabeth fricking Chase would be sitting in my room whining about boys,” Piper laughed, “I thought that was my job. I whine you listen.”

“Very funny,” Annabeth threw a pen from the table beside her at her giggling best friend.

“It is, but secondly, maybe Percy's expecting it's implied? What with you two dating and all? I mean, it wouldn't really make sense if you both went with someone else, now would it?”

“Are you saying that to make me feel better or to make yourself feel better because Jason hasn't asked you to be his date yet either?” Annabeth countered, arching her eyebrow.

“Both,” Piper shrugged, “But seriously, maybe they think it's implied? I mean, I wouldn't put it past them. I love Jason, and Percy's really cool, I like him too, but those two aren't exactly the brightest peas in the pod.”

“You do have a point there,” Annabeth chuckled. “I mean, seriously though, Percy is literally a lyrical mastermind, and Jason kicks ass at physics and math, you'd think that between the two of them they could put together two and two and at least compose a text and ask us?”

“Remind me again how did we end up stuck with them?” Piper laughed.

“We chose them, that's how,” Annabeth grinned. It was safe to say that befriending and dating Percy was the best decision she ever made. They hadn't really been going out that long, maybe a month and a half at the most, but she loved that boy. She loved him with every fiber of her being. And she knew he loved her too.

“Yeah, well, if I don't hear from Jason soon, I'm taking you as my date,” Piper jammed a finger in Annabeth's direction. 

“That's a deal,” Annabeth nodded and picked up her buzzing phone. She opened the one new message on display, smiling to herself.

**Percy**   
_I'm outside, you comin down?_

**Annabeth**   
_Be there in a sec_

“Well, speak of the devil, I gotta go,” Annabeth said to Piper as she stood up and grabbed her backpack from the floor where it lay. “Percy's waiting for me outside.”

“Ugh, already? You just got here!” Piper protested.

“No, I got here two hours ago. And we had pizza before that, remember?” Annabeth laughed, “Besides, I promised Percy I'd give him my opinion on some new works of his.”

“Yeah, but you're always with him these days,” Piper groaned, “We never hang out anymore. Just the two of us.”

“That is so not true, I'm literally here every other day,” Annabeth retorted.

“So I can't guilt-trip you into ditching him?” 

“Nope,” Annabeth smirked and made a show of blowing a kiss in Piper's direction. The other girl stuck her tongue out at her through a smile and flipped her off. Annabeth mocked offense, but through a smile as well. “Besides, don't you have a date with Jason in like, twenty minutes?”

“O shit, you're right!” Piper jumped off the bed, looking over herself in the mirror frantically.

Annabeth laughed, “So I'm supposed to ditch my boyfriend to hang with you, but you can't ditch yours?”

“Well I would ditch Jason, but since you're going out with Percy anyway... Well, everyone's happy this way,” Piper grinned at her in the mirror, “Now shoo, I need to get ready.”

“See ya later Pipes,” Annabeth snickered and closed the door behind her. She padded down the stairs to Piper's foyer, pulled on her beige overcoat, and left the mansion.

She jogged down the long driveway towards where the blue Prius was parked on the curb. Even from the distance, Annabeth could hear the blasting music from the car. She could see her boyfriend – that still sounded so surreal and so amazingly right to her – singing and headbanging lightly in the driver's seat. Smiling, Annabeth rounded the car and pulled open the passenger side, slipping in quietly.

“Not that I don't appreciate a good Led Zeppelin song, but do save the high volumes for when you're on stage. I'd hate for you to go deaf,” she grinned as she turned down the volume. Percy looked at her incredulously, mimicking shock, but it didn't last long. He broke into a grin, one that Annabeth loved more than anything in the world. That perfect bright lopsided smile, one that seemed to light up her entire world. It reached his incredibly green eyes, making them sparkle with joy. She loved seeing him happy. She loved him.

“Hello to you too,” he replied, leaning in towards her. Annabeth met him half-way, their lips connecting, moving in sync. The kiss was quick and brief, but Annabeth loved it. Warmth spread through her at the contact, blood rushing up to her cheeks. He could still make her blush, despite everything, and she loved it. 

At first, she found it rather embarrassing, blushing at basically everything he did, every little sign of affection, but after a little while, she started loving it. To her, it meant that what they had was real, that the spark was still there, that it always will be. To her, it meant that no matter how long they've been together, it was all still raw and new and perfect, and just plain right. Him being able to make her blush after dating for almost two months meant that it was something that would last. She knew it would.

Percy grinned at her when they parted, seeing that he made her blush again. He obviously enjoyed it, having told her multiple times how he found it rather endearing. Annabeth rolled her eyes and shoved him away lightly, before he could make fun of her for it again, and leaned back into her seat. Percy chuckled and put the car into gear, driving away from Piper's house.

“So,” Annabeth spoke up as they came at the stoplight, “you said you had some designs you wanted me to look over?”

“Yeah, I did,” Percy jumped up slightly as if he'd forgotten it totally. He twisted in his seat and reached in the back, digging around his backpack until he found his sketchbook. He handed it to Annabeth just as the light turned green. “I kinda like the fourth and fifth ones, I think they look the best. And I'm still deciding on the color scheme. Red and black, or yellow and black?”

“What are these for again?” Annabeth asked as she opened his sketchpad, not yet looking at the designs, but at Percy.

“I haven't told you?” he furrowed his brows as he quickly glanced at her, before turning back to mind the road. He knew how much Annabeth hated it when drivers didn't pay attention to the road and other vehicles around them. Annabeth made a little sound and shook her head. “I could've sworn I told you. Well, either way, I got this commission, from an old friend of mine. His band just signed the contract for a new album, and he wanted me to do the cover art.”

“Really? That's amazing!” Annabeth beamed at him, pride welling up inside her. Percy got a lot of commissions, both from friends and on the internet, on his art blog. He worked hard on every single one he took, and he absolutely adored it. He still drew on his own spare time too, working even harder on his own work. Often times the two of them would sit in silence in either of their houses, Annabeth reading, or working on her own architecture designs, or doing homework, while he just drew away. She found the steady scratch of the pencil as he ran it over paper calming. Every so often, he'd break her out of whatever it is she was doing to ask her opinion on the drawing. Sometimes they even shared notes on their designs or exchanged them to add their own little touches. It was fun working together on drawings, that much was for sure.

“Yeah, it's pretty sweet,” he grinned at her, as Annabeth turned to look over the drawings, “He said he wanted either something with birds or flowers and smoke. A lot of smoke. His words, not mine. He didn't let me listen to the album, so I don't exactly know what the vibe is, so I did a few quick sketches, and I want to know which ones you like the best.”

Annabeth went over them all quickly. The first one was the worst of the bunch. It wasn't bad, far from it actually, it just wasn't quite on the same level as the rest of them. There were a little more than half a dozen drawings in total, each one better than the previous. Annabeth always loved looking at Percy's work. It was something that meant a lot to him, and the effort and heart put into each drawing were visible. She loved seeing him so dedicated to something that made him as happy as art and music did.

“Well?” he perked up after a few minutes, “What do you think?”

“I like the fifth one too, and the seventh one,” Annabeth replied, “They're all amazing, but those two seem the most interesting, biggest eye-catchers of the bunch.”

The fifth drawing had a bird, like a phoenix, rising from the ashes. There was smoke all around it, and bits of fire protruding from its wings. It looked absolutely beautiful. Every feather was delicately done, every whisp of smoke detailed perfectly. The seventh drawing was a little different. It was a flower, a rose set horizontally, the handle disappearing beyond the paper. A few petals were falling from it, catching fire as they went. Whisps of smoke curled around the flower, wrapping it in a sort of mystique and shade. The fourth drawing, the one Percy liked, was interesting, but Annabeth didn't particularly find it as great as the other two. It was a bird surrounded by small, tiny, burning flowers, seemingly trapped. It was a cool design, but Annabeth always preferred the simpler ones on album covers.

“Don't like the fourth one?” Percy asked, if a little sadly.

“I do, but you know I like simpler covers,” Annabeth shrugged. She and Percy were always honest with each other when it came to stuff like this, they told each other what they did or did not like about the drawings they made. And they took it into consideration too. And they didn't get all too mad at each other over disagreements. Sure, they were both competitive and wanted to be right, but the little spats they may have had when discussing art didn't extend outside the topic. They respected each other's opinions and inputs, as much as they sometimes disagreed.

“Fair enough,” Percy replied, “What do you think of the colors? Red or yellow?”

The drawings were all black and white, but the shading indicated clearly what was black, what was grey, and what was either yellow or red.

“I think red for the one with the phoenix, and yellow for the rose,” Annabeth decided, “But try to make the yellow dull, don't make it stand out too much. Pour some shade over it, ya know?”

“Duly noted, thank you miss Chase,” Percy grinned at her. Annabeth squinted her eyes in mock anger but smiled at him too. She closed the sketchpad and set it onto the backseat beside their backpacks.

“So, where are we going?” she asked when she turned back around, noticing that they weren't really driving in the direction of their houses.

“The school, I left my hoodie there,” Percy replied.

“But won't the school be closed by now? It's six in the afternoon. On a Friday.” Annabeth pointed out.

“Yeah, I need to get to the football field. Jason, Frank, and I were throwing some balls around earlier, I think I left my hoodie on the bleachers,” he explained, and Annabeth found it to be true. When he came over to pick her up that morning, he did have a blue hoodie on. Now he was just left in a Ramones T-shirt and the leather jacket, despite the freezing weather. That jacket seemed to be glued to him, no matter how hot or cold it was outside.

“Okay then. But milkshakes after that?”

“Oh yes, definitely. I am starving!” Percy groaned and shot her a quick smile, to which she responded with the same.

They drove the rest of the way in silence pretty much, though it wasn't that long. They arrived at the school quickly. Percy told her she could wait in the car, as he'd be back in a second. Annabeth wasn't opposed to this, she was more than happy to stay in the warm car than go out in the cold. Percy shut the door behind himself, and Annabeth turned up the radio and got her phone out to pass the time. She didn't recognize the song that was playing, Percy must have found another new underground band and got their CD. It was a pretty cool song, though more in his style than Annabeth's.

Percy had just been gone maybe five minutes when a message popped up on Annabeth's screen. Furrowing her brow, she opened and read it over.

**Percy**   
_Hey, come out to the field, there's something you gotta see XD_

Annabeth reached over to the wheel, turned the key, and pulled it out of the ignition. She scrambled out of the car and locked it behind her. Pulling her purple cabbie beret over her head, and burying her chin into the collar of her coat and hands into the pockets, she hurried over the ghostly vacant parking lot, and around the school, where the giant football field was. She was curious as to what was so cool that Percy called her outside to see it. She'd been at the field just a couple of hours ago, there was nothing that awesome in particular there. Just the uncomfortable blue and red bleachers and the deserted field.

Annabeth stopped dead in her tracks. The field sure as hell wasn't boring and dull and deserted now. She gasped when she took in the sight, her eyes slowly pooling with tears and her hands shooting up to cover her mouth and the smile that was slowly growing on her face.

On the side stood Thalia with a big stereo. Grover, Frank, Hazel, Piper, Will, Reyna, Leo, Connor, Travis, all of her friends were there, holding bundles of balloons around a giant banner held up by Nico and Jason. In giant, but neat blue writing over the white canvas stood written:  
 _Will you go to the winter formal with me?_

And at the center of it all stood Percy, smiling anxiously, but hopefully, shuffling his feet. A small bouquet of yellow roses was in his hands. He looked up from the flowers and saw her standing there, and his grin grew.

Annabeth couldn't stop herself from smiling. Did Percy really organize all this? Did she really doubt he'd ask her? How could she ever doubt him? Of course Percy Jackson would organize some grand gesture, some big thing for her. He never needed to, she would've been fine with just a text, but of course Percy would do something grand like this.

She walked over to him, slightly shaky on her legs. Her smile never wavered once, only grew bigger. She reached Percy and saw him smiling at her just as brightly, and yet radiating anxiety. Of course he was, he was nervous about everything, despite the tough, confident mask he puts on usually.

“Did you...” she began, but choked through her smile, “Did you seriously organize all this?”

Percy smiled shyly at her, letting his gaze drop down to the ground, continuing to shuffle his feet, “Uh, yeah, I did... I'm sorry it took me so long to ask you to go with me, this took some time to prepare. And I wanted it to be special, perfect.”

“Oh Percy, you really didn't have to-”

“But I did. Because you, Annabeth Chase, are the single most amazing human to ever walk this Earth. And I love you more than words can express. And you deserve nothing but the absolute best, top-notch. And I still have no idea why you went for me when you could have someone so, so much better, someone who actually deserves you, but I'm glad you did. I love you, and I always will. And so this,” he gestured to the banner and balloons and everything, “It needed to be perfect. It needed to be grand, and special, and perfect because you deserve nothing less. Because someone as special as you deserves the world, and I maybe I can't give you that, but I can try. And I can give you one special dance proposal.”

Tears spilled from Annabeth's eyes as he spoke. His words echoed through her head. Her smile didn't weaver once, though she had to close her mouth so her tears, happy, happy tears wouldn't fall in. Percy smiled at her softly as he spoke, and in his mesmerizing green eyes, Annabeth saw nothing but pure, raw honesty, sincerity, and love. So much love. He loved her, she knew that. She knew it with her whole heart and soul – Percy Jackson did love her.

And she loved him. More than words can express.

“So what do you say, Wise Girl?” he spoke again, not breaking reestablished eye-contact, “Will you go to the winter formal with me?” He smiled slightly, radiating hope.

Annabeth let out a breath that sounded like a laugh and took a step closer to him. She reached up and cupped his cheeks, letting everything she felt for him pour into the touch, into her eyes and her words.

“You, Percy Jackson, are the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me. You saved me from myself, and from the world. You set me free, showed me all the wonders of life. You showed me what it is to love someone and to be loved just as much. You are the single most amazing person in my life. And I am beyond lucky and beyond grateful to have you. And I don't need the world, or the best things in it, because I already have that. You're my entire world, Seaweed Brain, and the best thing in it,” she let her smile stretch more with that last statement. Percy's smile grew with every word, and she could see just how much what she said meant to him. 

In the end, Annabeth leaned up and kissed him, slowly but surely, pouring everything she had into it. Her arms snaked around his neck, pulling him closer, and he circled her waist, holding her tight. Percy responded with just as much passion and tenderness as she had. It was perfect, just as perfect as their first kiss, in that dark hallway behind the stage.

When they broke apart, foreheads pressed together, Percy asked her, “So is that a yes?”

Annabeth laughed, “Yes. Yes, it is. A thousand times, yes.”

Percy smiled proudly, triumphantly, and pressed another quick, hard kiss to her lips. Annabeth heard two loud bangs and cheering, and [Crazy Little Thing Called Love](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zO6D_BAuYCI) by Queen, and when she and Percy parted again, her arms still around his neck, and his holding her waist, she saw hundreds of colorful strips falling from where Grover and Will fired the confetti cannons. She laughed as the others clapped and cheered, and Thalia, in typical Thalia fashion, mimicked gagging and throwing up. She turned back to Percy and he let go of her, holding the roses out to her. She took them and through a smile, pressed a kiss to his cheek.

Once the final confette hit the ground and the music died down, the group jumped down to where Annabeth and Percy were. Piper was smirking at her, and then it hit Annabeth. She didn't actually have a date with Jason, they just met up to prepare all of this for her. “So how's the date going?” she teased.

“Oh you know, it hasn't started yet,” Piper winked at her. Jason smiled down at his girlfriend, whom he must have asked about the dance earlier because helping with Percy's whole gesture wouldn't have made sense. Why Piper kept it from her, Annabeth had no idea.

“It's starting now,” Jason fist-bumped Percy, “See y'all later, we have plans.” And with that, the two of them took off. 

“While this whole love fest must be interesting to you two,” Thalia gestured to Annabeth and Percy, “I am going to throw up. Jackson, you're cleaning this all up.” And hand in hand with Reyna, who shot Annabeth a wink, Thalia strode off. 

In just a few seconds, it was just Percy and Annabeth left, the others having left with smiles and quick goodbyes before the clean-up started, either on dates of their own or just home. Annabeth looked up to Percy, who was already smiling down at her, his arm around her shoulders, her leaning into his side. She beamed at him, and then looked back down at the roses, “You never cease to amaze me, Percy. Thank you for this. Really, I loved it.”

“I'm glad you did.” He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “You can go wait in the car while I clean this up if you want. Won't be a minute.”

“I'll help,” Annabeth smiled and patted him on the back. 

He kissed the crown of her head again, and separated himself from her, jogging up towards the bleachers. Annabeth followed in suit, setting the flowers down on the lowest seat and climbing up to help him fold the banner. It didn't take them that long to gather everything. Annabeth gathered the balloons while Percy went to get the stereo, and with that all, they made their way back to the car, ignoring the shimmering confetti on the unnaturally green fake grass of the field. Percy shoved everything in the trunk, and Annabeth set the flowers on the backseat, besides Percy's sketchpad and their backpacks. They climbed into the car, and drove away from the school, holding hands between the seats, smiles adorning both their faces.

* * *

“I'll have to go dress shopping,” Annabeth said through bites of french fries. She and Percy went to that diner where they first hung out after she had helped him with math. Where their friendship began. They were often there, on dates, and just hanging out. They never came there with anyone, that was their little restaurant. Every now and then, they'd maybe run into Thalia and Nico, who adored the place too, and just hang out with them. In fact, the four of them hung out very often together – sometimes Annabeth listened to them practice, sometimes at the skatepark, at the diner, at school, wherever.

“And soon at that, I only have a few days to find the proper dress. Maybe I'll get Piper and Hazel to help me, they know this kind of stuff. Piper especially.”

“Listen, as far as I'm concerned, you can come in sweatpants and a pajama top and you'd look perfect to me,” Percy smirked at her. Annabeth scoffed and threw a fry at him.

“I'm serious,” she said, “I mean, I haven't been to many of these dances before, I never had any particular reason to go. So since this is one of the last ones, I wanna make it count, ya know?”

“I understand,” Percy sighed, “Trust me, I haven't been to many either, for the same reason. But this year, I mean, I have you, why wouldn't I go? All evening with my wonderful girlfriend – and I still can't believe I get to call you that -” he grinned like a puppy, “all in fancy-wear? It's gonna be amazing no matter what.”

Annabeth smiled at him shyly, a blush creeping up to her cheeks, “Still, it's a formal dance, we have to dress up. Besides, I kinda wanna see you in a tux,” she winked at him.

“Oh God I have to wear a tux?” Percy blanched. Annabeth nodded through a tight-lipped smile, kind of enjoying his misery. Percy was basically for anything other than fancy-wear. Leather jackets and ripped jeans and band tees and piercings were more his thing than button-up shirts, vests, and suits. He dropped his head onto the table, “Shit.”

Annabeth reached over and patted him on the shoulder sympathetically. She didn't enjoy formal dresses like that very much either, so at least they can suffer the clothes together.

“Well, just tell me which color you get so I can match my tie,” Percy groaned.

“You're gonna wear a tie? On top of a suit?” Annabeth's eyes widened. Percy shot her a questioning look.

“Why wouldn't I?”

“I just had a feeling you might ditch at least that, ya know, as your rebellious self,” Annabeth shrugged.

“Don't give me ideas,” Percy laughed, “But no, if we're doing this, then we're going all out.”

“We wouldn't be us if we didn't,” Annabeth agreed. They were both extremely competitive, that much everyone knew, but everyone also knew that they don't half-ass things. All in or all out.

Percy smiled at her, and took a sip of his milkshake, “Hey, didn't you help organize, like, all of the dances around the schoolyear?”

“Yeah, I did.”

“How come you didn't go to them?”

“Piper dragged me to a couple actually, but I usually left as early as possible. Unlike this year, I never had any particular reason to go,” Annabeth explained.

“I find it a little hard to believe you were never asked to go as someone's date,” Percy smirked.

“Oh I was, I just turned them all down,” Annabeth grinned.

Percy put a hand over his heart, “Waiting for me, Wise Girl?” 

“Oh you wish,” she flicked yet another fry at him, which he somehow caught with his mouth and swallowed with a triumphant grin. “You know, the point of me throwing fries at you isn't for you to enjoy them.”

“Well you should know by now I catch foods very easily,” Percy chuckled, making her scoff at him. “But anyway, why plan the dances if you never wanted to attend?”

“You know I like organizing things,” Annabeth shrugged nonchalantly. Percy stifled a laugh through some more fries, and Annabeth smiled fondly at him. It was crazy to hear how both of them were all smiles, and chuckles, and giggles and laughs when they were together. It felt nice, just smiling all the time, even if her face hurt from it sometimes.

Percy dropped her off at her place after about two hours of just aimless driving around the city, singing at the top of their lungs. While Percy had a much better singing voice than her, she enjoyed singing with him. It was fun. And when they were singing just so casually, Percy had some fun and butchered the intonation and lyrics, so it sounded pretty awful, making Annabeth holler with laughter. He walked her up to her front door, as he always did (“Sally raised a gentleman,” he'd always say), and kissed her goodnight. Long, hard, passionate. The kind of kiss that left her breathless and screaming for more. Annabeth watched his retreating figure as he stumbled backward towards his car. She made a show of blowing him a kiss after he reached it, and watched the blue Prius disappear behind the corner.

Her phone buzzed just before she came inside, signaling a text from Piper.

**Piper**   
_Tomorrow after school, pasta at my place, and then we're all going shopping – you, me, Hazel, Reyna, Thalia. Gotta rock that dance ;)_

**Piper**   
_That reminds me, Silena's coming home for the holidays and insists that she does our make up, so we're getting ready at my place too :D_

Annabeth chuckled to herself as she typed a response.

**Annabeth**   
_Sounds like a plan. C u tmrw then <3 _

She put her phone away and opened the door to her house. As soon as she came inside the house, Annabeth made a beeline for the kitchen to put the flowers in water. Her dad was in the sitting room, reading the newspaper. He looked up when she entered, a smile on his face, though nowhere near as big as her own.

“Someone's chipper,” he noted, “What's with the flowers?”

“Percy asked me to the winter formal,” Annabeth replied dreamily, “Had this whole scheme planned, with a banner, and music, and balloons and confetti and everything.”

“Good lad, that Percy boy,” her dad laughed, “You said yes, I take it?”

“Of course I did, he's my boyfriend,” Annabeth rolled her eyes, “This reminds me, can I borrow some money? I need to go dress shopping for the dance.”

“Sure, no problem,” her dad nodded, “So what's the deal? Is he picking you up here or?”

“No actually, the girls and I are getting ready at Piper's. Silena's coming home for the holidays, and wants to do our make-up,” she replied. “Is that okay?”

“That's just fine,” her dad waved it off, “I won't be home anyway. Got called to Boston, so I'll be out of town for a little while.”

“Oh...” Annabeth sighed, not trying to pretend the news didn't sadden her. “But Christmas is just around the corner, I thought we could have a little family dinner or something?”

“I'm sorry sweetie, but I'm not 100% sure I'll be back by then,” her dad got up and hesitantly put a hand on her shoulder, “I'll do whatever I can to get back as soon as possible.”

“Okay,” Annabeth managed a tiny, thin smile.

“And you be sure to take lots of photos, I wanna know how everything went,” her dad chuckled, “And no funny business while I'm gone.” He pointed an accusatory finger at her, though she could tell he was joking.

Annabeth gagged, “Ew, dad, no!”

“I'm just saying, a girl your age, it's only natural-” her dad joked and continued, but Annabeth was having none of it. She covered her ears, hollering, “LALALALALA, can't hear you, goodnight!” and she ran away to her bedroom, the sound of her father's laughter echoing through the house.

* * *

“There we go now, perfect!” Silena's sweet sing-song voice carried through the darkness enveloping Annabeth. “You can open your eyes now, honey.”

Annabeth did as she was told, and frankly, it took her a few moments to recognize herself in the mirror. Piper had already done her hair expertly, curling it so it wasn't as wild as usual, but didn't lose the volume and its natural look, and let it fall over Annabeth's shoulders and with a few strategically placed strands hanging loose around her face. But Silena really framed the whole look with the makeup. She didn't cake her too much, as she knew how much Annabeth disliked having stuff on her face. She darkened her eyebrows, making them stand out more. Her eyes were framed with smoky make-up, transitioning between neutral colors for depth and, and then a light shade of grey and a shiny silver, bringing out Annabeth's stormy irises. She had put on a lot of mascara instead of fake eyelashes, did her eyeliner so expertly and sharply she was sure it could cut through solid steel, and she added just some faint blush to her cheeks. She brought the whole look together with some rosy-pink lipstick a tad darker shade than her natural color and then brought it out with some shiny lipgloss.

Annabeth gaped at herself in the mirror. Silena really was a mastermind, she did the whole look so amazingly, it was no wonder she got into the best make-up school with ease.

“Well, what do you think?” Silena asked, a proud smile adorning her face, her arms crossed over her chest triumphantly.

“I think that you are an absolute genius, Silena!” Annabeth grinned, standing up and going in for a hug, “Thank you so much, I love it!”

“Anytime darling!” Silena hugged her back, hard, “Now shoo, I have to do Reyna now.”

Annabeth squeezed her hands one last time and turned away, letting Reyna take her place at the mess of a makeup table. Since her hair and make-up were done, Annabeth was ready to get dressed, but they all still had a good hour before the boys came to pick them up, so she just lounged with the others in Piper's enormous bedroom. 

The girls all looked absolutely amazing. Piper did everyone's hair, and Silena took care of their make-up. They didn't call them the Fashion Sisters for nothing. Piper pinned up her hair in a waterfall braid, letting the strands fall on their own without her assistance. She looked natural with the neutral make-up Silena did on her, pronouncing her features and pointing out her eyes with some blue shade so that her make-up matched with the bright, sky-blue dress hanging from her dresser.

Thalia had her hair combed and swept to the side, since it was so short there was scarcely anything that could be done with it. Though Piper did insist that she re-dye the blue strands into a bright red. Her make-up consisted of a bright shade of red lipstick, and dark smokey make-up, matching with the black dress she bought. Getting her to actually buy a dress was a feat worthy of mention. In the end, they had to bribe her with free lunch to get it, but the girls all knew that Thalia would look amazing in the corsetted dress they made her buy.

Hazel had a bright shade of gold on her eyes, and shiny lipstick, so that her sparkly golden dress matched her look. Her wild curls were pushed back like a halo around her head by a golden tie-bandana. It was a controversial subject, but Hazel's dress was simple, and the bandana went with it. Or at least that was the conclusion the girls came to after half an hour of deliberation.

And finally, Reyna, who was still in the make-up chair, had her hair curled a little and braided in the famous Reyna fashion, so it cascaded down her right shoulder, but the braid was embroidered with a golden chain matching the thick belt on her dress. Silena was currently dropping some royal purple on her eyes, primed with a bright white shade. The inside corner of her eyes glinted goldenly. She looked regal and royal, even with her make-up half done.

Annabeth flopped down onto the beanbag in the corner, beside the armchair Thalia was sprawled on. She grabbed her phone from where it lay on the table. She unlocked it to find a small million of unread messages in the group chat, and another thousand from Percy.

She quickly scrolled down the group chat, to find that it was actually the guys arguing about this and that – some of her favorites being which Transformer and Marvel superhero was the best, which pizza topping is the worst (spoiler, it was decided that it was pineapple) – even though they were literally all in the same house. Jason had them all getting ready at his place, and from the Snaps Percy sent her, that meant about two hours of Mario Kart and pizza, and absolutely nothing that said 'winter formal'.

Annabeth opened the messages to find about a dozen Snaps with funky captions – a TV screen with _“I'm kicking all their asses”_ , even though it said Leo was winning; six boxes of pizza, all empty, with a laughing emoji; Connor and Travis wrestling for the TV remote; Jason chasing Nico who looked both extremely amused and extremely afraid, and a caption that said _“Neeks found Jason's old Transformer action figures XD”_ , and a bunch more of funny faces and short videos with commentary on what was happening, some even with the boys arguing loudly in the background over some card game they were playing while Percy was filming it and laughing like a maniac.

Annabeth chuckled as she went through them all, and sent a quick, brief reply.

**Annabeth**   
_Are you actually getting ready for the dance or having a sleepover over there lol?_

The reply came quickly after that, though in the form of a video. Annabeth opened it, and the volume made her jump. Leo's face appeared on there, hollering, “Lady, boys do not have sleepovers! We have manly, manly parties full of-”

He never got to finish what he was going to say, as he was interrupted by someone snatching the phone from him. It was Percy, whipped cream all over his face and hair, “Gimme that Valdez, this is my girlfriend! Sorry about him, and don't let him fool you, we are totally having a sleepover over here!”

That was followed by a crash as if someone had tackled Percy, and the video disappeared. The girls were all looking at Annabeth, confused and brows furrowed. She just shrugged and said, “Boys.”

“I gave up on checking that group chat, that dimwit of my brother thinks Thor is the most powerful MCU character,” Thalia groaned.

“And that's wrong because...?” Hazel inquired.

“Because Scarlet Witch is obviously the strongest, duh,” Reyna replied in Thalia's stead.

The punker grinned proudly, “And that, my dear ladies, is why she is my girlfriend!”

“Wait wait wait, how is Scarlet Witch stronger than frickin Thor?!” Piper yelped, “I mean, he is a god after all.”

“I don't exactly recall thor destroying an Infinity Stone and holding off Thanos with five other stones, all while basically dying inside because destroying the said Infinity Stone will kill the one you love,” argued Thalia.

“But what about Captain Marvel? She's stronger than Wanda for sure!” added Silena.

“Okay, I never thought you'd know this stuff, and yes, I'd say she is stronger than Wanda. And so is Thor, come on guys, the dude literally survived a major battle with Thanos, floating in space with no protection, and holding the thingy with the dying star while Stormbreaker was being forged. That's strength!” Piper argued.

“Y'all are forgetting the Grandmaster, but very well,” added Annabeth, not looking at the rest of them. Chaos proceeded to ensue as the girls argued over who was the strongest, but Annabeth paid no attention to that. Arguing which superhero was the strongest was an opening of Pandora's box she did not want to participate in. Besides, she was more curious over why Percy was covered in whipped cream than who was the strongest Avenger.

Her unasked questions were sort of answered through a text that followed shortly after the last video Percy sent.

**Percy**   
_Sorry, Jason tackled me because I took his Optimus Prime figurine lmao_

**Percy**   
_And don't even ask why I was covered in whipped cream, it was a dare, and Percy Jackson does not back down_

**Percy**   
_Either way, I should probably get cleaned up_

**Percy**   
_See you soon_

**Annabeth**   
_Looking forward to seeing that tux ;)_

“Okay, enough of that, they're all-powerful!” shrieked Silena, “Thank you, Thalia, for bringing this up. Now, all of you, get your asses up and into those dresses, it's picture time, and the boys will be here soon anyway!”

No one dared protest Silena's commands, so all five of them got up and grabbed their dresses from where they were hanging, and dissipated into different rooms to change. It took Annabeth a second to get into the dress, and when she went back into Piper's room to ask Silena to zip it up, she caught sight of herself in the mirror.

She had to admit, the dress brought the whole look together. The hair and make-up looked fine even on causal wear, more than fine actually, but it really looked amazing with the dress. She picked an emerald green one, partly because the shade almost matched Percy's eyes, and secondly because it hugged her nicer than literally any other dress she tried on. She was aiming for something blue, but as soon as she saw that dress in the window of a shop, Annabeth knew that was the one. It was the cheapest of all the dresses bought that day, but Annabeth really fell in love with it at first sight. 

The heart-shaped neckline fit her perfectly, the corset embroidered with thin silver webs hugged her stomach nicely. It had no sleeves, but Annabeth did find a cheap short leather overcoat that went perfectly with it. It was just up to the waist, and very simple, so it didn't ruin the formal look of the dress, with a belt of fabric to tie around her stomach, just under her ribcage. The skirt fell down to the floor lightly, it wasn't puffy or big as other dresses she'd seen. There was a long slit on the side, so her leg stuck out a little. There was just a teeny tiny bit of glitter in the skirt, making it sparkle in the light.

“Annie, you look absolutely amazing!” Silena screeched, jumping up and down giddily. “Percy's gonna choke when he sees you, you look stunning!”

“You think so?” Annabeth questioned anxiously.

“Absolutely, 100%! You look perfect!” Silena answered, and Annabeth knew she was honest. “Come, let me zip you up!”

Just as she did that, the rest of the girls came in one by one, each complimenting the others' looks. Piper's tight blue dress matched the eyeshadow on her eyes and hugged her perfectly. It was simple, long-sleeved with a deep V-neck, and a tight skirt up to the knees, from where it fell freely. Hazel's gold dress was a simple, medium sleeved one, with one shoulder exposed, and a skirt that fell down midway her calves and puffed out ever so slightly. Thalia went for a more gothic look, with lace sleeves and a heart-shaped corset, with buttons and lace and everything, and an ever so slightly puffy black and red skirt down to her knees. And finally, Reyna, who wore an off-shoulder royal purple dress. The top and sleeves were sparking with golden glitter, and there was a thick, yet simple square golden belt over her stomach. The skirt fell down much like Annabeth's, just grazing the floor, though evidently, it was heavier than Annabeth's own. All of them looked absolutely amazing, stunning.

“They boys,” said Piper, spraying some perfume on Thalia, who shrieked and backed away, “won't know what hit them.”

“You're right there, little sis,” Silena said through her unwavering grin, “Come on now, shoes on, and get downstairs, I wanna take photos! I didn't have the living room cleaned spotless for nothing!”

The girls obeyed once more, pulling on their shoes. Piper wore simple black stilettos, Hazel a pair of black flats, Reyna had golden five-inch gladiators, all the way up to her knees, Thalia opted for black flats with fabric tying up over her calves, and Annabeth had a pair of silver lace-up heels, similar to Reyna's, though Annabeth's only reached a few inches above her knees.

The five of them carefully made their way downstairs, Annabeth a little unsure on her heels, Piper a little uncomfortable, but still totally natural and collected, and Reyna striding down as regally as always, as if she weren't wearing extra five inches, but walking barefoot on sand. Silena had aligned them all by the fireplace, and they took photos one by one first, and then in pairs and groups. They went through basically every combination and pose, with Silena acting at their cameraman. She had an expensive-looking camera propped onto a stand, probably “borrowed” from her mother's art studio.

The girls had moved onto silly poses to waste the time when the doorbell finally rang. Silena, setting down the glass of champagne the girls had opened while they waited (“They're the ones who are late, I can start drinking now without them if I want to!” argued Thalia and opened the bottle without waiting for any further responses), clasped her hands and jogged to the front door, opening it.

“You're late,” she said, her huge smile evidently gone from her face, probably replaced by something akin to a motherly fury, if the looks of fear on the guys' faces were anything to go by, “What kinds of gentlemen come to pick up their dates late? You should've been here half an hour ago!”

“I thought it was twenty minutes ago, it's only 6:20?” asked Jason as innocently as possible.

“You should've come early,” Annabeth watched Silena reach over and smack a significantly taller Jason over the head.

“And they will be severely punished for it with the lack of champagne in the house,” called out Piper from the living room, where she was standing beside Annabeth, “Cut them some slack, Sil, it's not as if we hadn't expected this. Let them in.”

With probably one last angry squint from Silena, the older girl moved aside and let the flood of boys into the house. From where they were standing in the living room, Annabeth could only tell them apart based on their height and hair color. She immediately spotted Frank, with his dark buzz cut and bulky build, looking extremely awkward in the black tuxedo he had on. Next, she saw Jason, the light hair seeming to shine compared to the dark suit. Then she saw three heads of wild brown curls and immediately recognized them as Grover, Connor, and Travis, looking unexpectedly elegant. Then she saw Will and Nico, the literal yin and yang, with the stark difference in their hair colors. Nico's seemed darker, and Will's even brighter than usual, and while both were long and shaggy usually, at least now they had the decency to run a comb through them. She couldn't spot her own date though.

The boys came in through the archway of the living room and stopped dead in their tracks when they saw the girls, who had previously been hidden from their view by the walls. Leo, Connor, and Travis immediately started wolf-whistling, earning smacks over the heads from Grover. Will smiled proudly at them and gave them a cheerful thumbs-up. Nico shrugged but smiled none the less. Jason and Frank stood gaping, both fixed on their dates, Piper and Hazel respectively. Hazel was blushing furiously as she approached Frank, but Piper strode up to Jason with confidence and pride, and a tad seductively, and laughed as he spluttered over his words. Annabeth kept looking out in the doorway, searching for Percy.

“Beth, you look amazing!” said Grover, giving her a tight hug. He's one of her oldest and best friends, and Annabeth didn't find it odd that he approached her first. “Percy's gonna lose his mind when he sees you. I think he will actually short-circuit,” he laughed.

“Where is he?” asked Annabeth, doing a very poor job of masking her anxiety and worry.

“The idiot left something in the car, he'll be here in a minute, don't worry,” Grover laughed, giving her a reassuring squeeze on the arm, “I kept quiet this long, but I think it's time to say I told you so.”

“For what?” asked Annabeth, confused.

“I told you a million times Percy was a nice guy, that you'd like him. And evidently, you did. _I told you so_ ,” Grover mocked. Annabeth groaned and shoved him slightly, making him laugh even more than before.

“But seriously, I'm glad you found each other. He needed someone to ground him a little, and you needed someone to unground you,” he winked at her and strode off, leaving Annabeth to stand alone with her glass of champagne and a small fond smile on her face. They were good for each other, and they needed the other. Grover was right. And Annabeth now only wished she'd taken his word and made friends with Percy sooner, but better late than never, right?

“Wow...” a familiar voice broke her out of her thoughts. Annabeth wasn't sure how long she'd been standing there, smiling at her glass, worlds away in her head, but when the voice came, and she looked up, she saw him standing there, and a smile broke out onto her face.

Percy looked absolutely amazing. The black tux, the same dark color of his hair, impossibly black and yet a little shiny in the right lightning, hugged his slim, lean figure perfectly. She could see his broad shoulders, even the lean swimmer/guitarist muscles on his arms even through the jacket. The suit fit him perfectly. He wore a white shirt underneath the jacket, with a bowtie that matched the color of the suit itself, and black dance shoes. Briefly, she wondered if he could even dance, but that thought was soon replaced by the realization that his hair was still a bird's nest. It looked like he tried to do something to tame it but to no end. And the next thing she noticed was that he had discarded all his piercings, just like that day he came over to meet her father, and every other time he knew he'd see Fredrick. And last but certainly not least, she saw just how bright his eyes were, sparkling green pools of mischief and wonder at the same time. Annabeth would've thought that those two could never really be seen together, but she learned a long time ago that when it came to Percy's eyes, nothing was impossible. The eyes were the mirror of the soul, and Percy's was always visible in those green irises.

“Well aren't you looking handsome?” Annabeth grinned and strode over to him, running a hand over the lapels of his suit, “I knew you'd look good in a tux.”

Percy stared at her open-mouthed and wide-eyed for a couple of seconds more, but then shook his head as a cartoon character would when coming out of a reverie, “Forget about me,” he exclaimed, “Look at you! Wise Girl, you look... I don't really know what to say, amazing doesn't do it justice. You look... Incredible... More than that.”

Annabeth looked down at herself stepping away from him slightly to twirl a little in place. “You think so?” she asked, anxiously biting her lip.

“Remember when we first met and I kept calling you Princess?” Percy grinned, stepping closer to her and cupping her cheek. Annabeth merely nodded, and he continued, “Well if you looked like a princess then, then you are a full-on goddess now. Milady, Athena.” He made a show of bowing down and kissing the back of her hand, making Annabeth grin and blush at the same time.

“You're a clown, you know that Seaweed Brain?” she giggled.

“Just one of my many charms,” Percy smirked and winked at her as he straightened up.

“Why Athena?” Annabeth asked, curious about the choice.

“Well, one, because you're a smartass,” he smiled victoriously, “Two, because I am fairly sure you could still kick my ass if you wanted to. Three, because you're beautiful in that fierce, warrior-like way. You're basically real-life Athena all the time.” He shrugged at the end as if the comparison like that was the most obvious thing in the whole world.

“I don't know if you're just flattering me or what, but I appreciate it,” Annabeth smiled up at him, pressing a light kiss to his cheek. For once, she didn't have to stand on the tips of her toes to be able to kiss him like that or have him lean down so much.

“I'm not flattering you, Owl Head, I'm serious,” he smiled softly, “You're beautiful.”

And she knew he meant it. Annabeth smiled at him just as softly as he did, and was about to lean in for a real kiss when a voice broke the two out of the little bubble they were in.

“Hey lovebirds!” Thalia hollered, “It's your turn at the camera! And stop with the lovefest before I throw up!”

“Just a second!” Percy shouted back, as the two were in the foyer of Piper's house, rather than in the living room with everyone else.

“You think she ever gets tired of those threats?” Annabeth joked.

“I think she feeds on them,” Percy stated matter-of-factly, “But either way, that's not why I told them to wait. I have something for you.”

He took a step back from her and reached into the pocket of his jacket. Before Annabeth could say anything, he had pulled out a tiny velvet-red square box, not more than three inches in diameter, with a tiny white bow on the top. 

“Percy, you really didn't have to-”

“I wanted to,” he said, cutting her off, popping the box open. Inside was a small thin silvery owl pendant on a thin silver chain. “I saw this the other day and it reminded me of you. It was supposed to be your Christmas present, but I thought, why not give it to you now?” he finished it off with a shy, but bright smile.

The corners of Annabeth's lips twitched upward, turning into a smile as she gingerly picked up the tiny pendant, running her thumb over it. It was pretty, simple but pretty.

“Well, d'you like it?”

Annabeth looked up into Percy's glinting green eyes, a shade lighter and brighter than her dress. She grinned and took his hand, giving it a tight, thankful squeeze. “I love it. Thank you, it's beautiful.”

His smile widened, “I'm glad you like it. May I?” he offered his hand, putting the box back into his pocket. Annabeth handed him the necklace, turning around and pushing her hair up so he could pin it behind her neck. She felt his fingers brush over her skin, sending shivers down her spine. Annabeth let her hair fall back down and spun around to face Percy again. He had a fond smile on his face. “I knew it would fit you.”

Annabeth threw her arms around his neck and pulled him down towards her, placing a light kiss on his lips. “Thank you. It's perfect.” Percy smiled into the kiss, holding her tight against him as she hugged him.

“We should get back there before Thalia tears our heads off.” She felt Percy chuckle against her as he spoke. Annabeth nodded and untangled herself from him. Percy offered his hand, and Annabeth took it gladly, lacing their fingers together as they stepped back into the room.

“Took you long enough!” shrieked Thalia as they appeared beyond the archway. The others were all standing around and chatting, Silena still by the camera. There was a chorus of chuckles at Thalia's little outraged outburst, to which everyone had gotten used to by now, but only Silena sent Annabeth a sly smile and a wink, gesturing to the necklace around her neck. That girl had an eagle's eye, Annabeth could swear it. She blushed a little and ducked her head down as she pulled Percy before the camera. 

“Percy, you've got something on your...” Grover's voice carried to them, and Annabeth looked up to see Grover gesturing to his mouth. She looked back up at Percy in confusion and saw what Grover meant. She burst out in chuckles as Percy wiped the traces of her lipstick from her mouth. She heard him mutter something that sounded suspiciously like, _'tastes good'_ when he pulled his hand back down.

Annabeth grinned and craned her neck upward to whisper in his ear, “It's strawberry.” She heard him chuckle and then Silena told them to strike a pose, just before the camera flashed. She and Percy took a couple of photos together, and in the proximity, Annabeth could smell the weirdly calming, strong, fresh scent of the ocean radiating off him. It didn't take the two of them too long to wrap up the photo shoot, and once they were done, Silena had gathered them all to take group photos, which in fact, took significantly longer because no one could get Leo and the Stolls to behave for the more formal, serious photos, but once they started up with the silly ones, well, it was all tripping over dresses and heels and laughing so much Silena threatened to murder them if they messed up her masterpieces of make-up.

“Right, well, we better get going, or we'll miss the reservation,” announced Jason.

“Ever so responsible,” sighed Piper, leaning on his side. Thalia made a gagging motion (for the millionth time that evening), which earned her a pat on the back by Reyna.

“Buzzkill,” groaned Leo, obviously a little buzzed from the champagne.

“Buzzkill or not, he's right, you better get going,” said Silena, ushering them out of the house. By the doors, she pointed an accusatory finger in the direction of the boys, with a murderous glare, “No funny business you guys. I want my girls all back home by midnight, you understand?”

“Yes, ma'am,” said Jason, though he seemed genuinely scared for his life. Piper and Annabeth hugged Silena goodbye, while Hazel, Thalia, and Reyna just waved, and with the rest of the group, they left the house.

They all broke off into groups to scramble into the cars. Annabeth went with Percy, of course, with Grover, Will, and Nico in the back. She had no idea why it was Percy driving since it was Grover's car, but she didn't object, as that meant she'd get shotgun by right. Nico would probably never let her have it otherwise. Jason drove with Thalia, Reyna, Piper, and Leo, much to Thalia's very loud protests. And finally, Connor and Travis went with Frank and Hazel.

“So Grover, where's your date? Are we picking her up or is she meeting us there?” asked Annabeth once they were out on the road, leaving Percy to hum under his breath and concentrate on the road as she craned her neck to see her friends in the back.

“She's meeting us at the restaurant with the others.”

“Others?” asked Will, pulled out of a seemingly deep conversation with Nico.

“Yeah, with Leo's and the Stolls' dates,” replied Percy, drawn in too.

“And that would be...?” asked Nico.

“Calypso, Katie, and Miranda,” replied Grover.

“Calypso? Calypso Atlas?” bellowed Will, dumbfounded, “How on Earth did that happen?”

“Yeah,” said Percy, sharing a sly look with Annabeth, “I helped set them up. Calli said she was sick of the guys she dated for Drew's sake, and wanted a change, and Leo had been pining for her for a long time.”

“It took some work, but I did manage to hook them up,” said Annabeth, reminiscing the memory of a phone call she had with Percy maybe two weeks ago.

**(FLASHBACK)**

_“You'll never guess what happened!” her boyfriend had exclaimed before any sort of greeting._

_“Hello to you too. What's up?”_

_“Okay, so you know how Leo's been single basically his whole life and is constantly crying over it?” Annabeth hummed in acknowledgment, so he continued, “Well, Calli had been complaining about the guys she's been dating for a while, so I tried to set them up.”_

_“Calli? Your ex?” Annabeth asked, not angry, just surprised. She knew Percy stayed friends with her, she just didn't know they were in close contact._

_“Uh, yeah...” he dragged, “Is that a problem?” he asked, his anxiety carrying over the line._

_“Not at all, she's cool when she's not with Drew. I just didn't know you were friends, so I was surprised, don't worry about it,” Annabeth waved it off, even though he couldn't see it. She really had no problem with them being friends, Percy's allowed to hang out with whomever he wants. Annabeth swore she wouldn't be one of those jealous, possessive girlfriends when they'd started dating, and so far, she was true to that promise._

_“Are you sure? I mean, I know she's my ex and everything...”_

_“It's fine, really,” Annabeth laughed. Percy honestly got nervous over every single little thing, it was sometimes funny how quick it happened._

_“Okay, cool!” he exclaimed, seemingly much calmer now, “Well, anyway, she'd been mentioning Leo for a while, so I thought I'd try to set them up. And I'm sworn to secrecy, but you're my girlfriend, so it doesn't really count, I had to tell you,” he laughed, “I just got a call from Leo. They'd been on their first date.”_

_“Really? How did it go?” Annabeth laughed._

_“Well, short, according to Leo. She'd slapped him and stormed off twenty minutes into the date,” Percy howled over the line, “She said he made some inappropriate joke, and she was having none of it.”_

_“Oh my God!”_

_“Anyway, she came back a little while later, he stayed to finish the pizza, and apparently, it went pretty smoothly after that,” Percy continued, “Calli says she liked him, once she got past the Leo-behavior and all. They're off to a second date this weekend. Can you imagine that? Calypso Atlas and Leo Valdez!”_

_“I never thought I'd hear those two names and 'date' in the same two sentences!” Annabeth cried out, practically howling with laughter._

**(END FLASHBACK)**

“Well, that is certainly interesting,” chuckled Nico, pulling Annabeth back into reality, “Can't wait to see how this goes.”

“And the Stolls are going with Katie and Miranda?” asked Will.

“Yeah, that was pretty funny to watch too,” sighed Annebth fondly, “I think Travis asked Katie at least a dozen times before she finally gave in.”

“Sounds about right,” chuckled Percy. The song on the player changed, and so did the topic, with Percy exclaiming, “Oh this is my jam!” and turning up the radio. He and Nico started screaming the lyrics, Annabeth joining in every now and then, and laughing at Will and Grover who were shaking their heads in the back.

* * *

“Leo, I swear to God, if you spill one drop of that on me, I will _murder_ you!” Calypso growled as Leo gestured wildly as he told some stupid joke, his glass of coke in hand.

They had met up with the four girls in front of the restaurant. Juniper, Grover's date, was in a pretty light green, flowy dress, her orange hair draped over her back in elegant curls. Calypso, Leo's girlfriend apparently, was in a beautiful long dress, with a shiny silver corset and flowy white skirt, her caramel hair braided in a mesmerizing french braid with tiny flowers braided in, and held back with a circular silver tiara. Miranda and Katie, Connor, and Travises dates respectively, were wearing matching tight pink and yellow dresses, hairs pulled up in elegant buns on top of their heads. 

Annabeth greeted Calypso with a hug, which apparently seemed to make Percy rather happy, and Calypso told her she was more than happy for the two of them. Annabeth liked Calypso and wanted to get to know her a little better, so she sat beside her at the big circular table they had reserved, with Percy on her other side, their fingers laced together under the table.

Dinner had gone by smoothly. It was Hazel's idea that they do it before going to the actual dance, as most of them were seniors, and wouldn't get the chance to do this whole thing again together, so they had all agreed instantly. It was Piper who found the fancy little place, perfect for what they were doing. They had fun, and decided to stick around a little longer after the desert, as they still had some time before the dance officially starts.

Jason managed to snatch Leo's glass from him before he actually spilled it all over him or Calypso, but Leo hardly seemed to notice, just moved onto the very bad punchline of his joke. Only he and Piper, who had awful taste in humor, laughed, while the others groaned, Percy, Thalia, and Nico actually slamming their heads against the table in perfect sync. Annabeth chuckled at them, it was crazy how synchronized the three of them were.

“We should get going,” said Piper, checking the time on her phone, “They're opening the entrance in five minutes, and from what I can tell, traffic isn't really that terrific right now. And I really don't wanna get locked out.”

“Okay then, let's get going,” agreed Hazel, “How did you three come, need a ride?”

“No, we're good,” replied Miranda as they all stood up, Piper excusing herself to go take care of the bill, courtesy of her father. The four newcomers girls all made way to Miranda, “We'll see you guys at the dance,” said Calypso, giving Leo a quick peck on the cheek.

“See ya,” said Percy after he high fived her. He turned back to Annabeth and squeezed her hand as they exited the restaurant and made way towards the car, “I can't wait to see what you did for this. Was it hard to organize?”

“Not really, we had a good team, I think you'll like it overall,” Annabeth shrugged, stepping closer to him for warmth as they made way down the street towards Grover's car. Percy threw his arm over her shoulder, pulling her to his side, and immediately she felt warmer. She felt sorry for the other girls, who decided not to get jackets or anything to keep them warm while they were out, but the guys were decent and stepped in, giving them their jackets, which seemed to please Piper particularly.

“Just tell me the music won't be too lame,” Percy chuckled, “Who did you get?”

“Some local pop singer. He's pretty decent, I think you might actually like the songs he has prepared,” Annabeth shrugged. Percy made a face, and she leaned onto him harder, making him stumble a little. “Don't grimace, I asked you if you wanted to perform.”

“Well I do, but we have quite a few gigs booked soon, and I wanna spend tonight dancing with my girlfriend instead of watching other couples dance from the stage,” Percy smirked, grabbing her hand and making her twirl once as they walked. He caught her back in his arms just as they reached the car, and leaned down to place one quick ghost of a kiss on her lips. Just a brush of skin against each other, the tingle of their breaths, and shivers went down Annabeth's spine. Before she could go in for more, Will reached them.

“Enough with the PDA, get this car open, I'm freezing!” he protested. Percy's head hung low as a soft chuckle escaped his lips. Annabeth laughed with him and stepped away. Percy fished his keys out of his pocket and unlocked the car, opening the passenger side door for her.

“Milady,” he bowed.

“Thank you,” she did a small courtesy and climbed into the car, Percy shutting the door behind her with that mischievous trademark smirk of his on.

“You know, Thalia's right, you two will make me throw up one day,” Nico's head popped out from the backseat, and Annabeth twisted to face him. He was leaning by the elbows on the front seats, a smirk resembling Percy's on his face.

“Yeah?” Annabeth challenged, arching her brow, “You think you and Will are any better?”

“She has a point, you two can be sickeningly sweet sometimes,” Grover added from beside Nico, “Especially when you're making heart eyes at each other when the other's not looking.”

“Oh shut up, Goat Boy,” Nico groaned, shoving Grover lightly, and sank back into the seat. Just then, Percy climbed in and put the car into gear. Instead of the CDs, they put in earlier, the radio was playing Mariah Carey again, much to Nico's dismay. “Oh no, you won't!” he exclaimed and climber forward between Percy and Annabeth, something that occurred almost always when they were driving, so neither Percy nor Annabeth were particularly bothered. He reached into the glove compartment and pulled out their band's first and so far only CD, and put it into the slot. Percy must have given Grover a copy sometime back. Thalia's bassline from the opening song flooded the car, making the seats shake and vibrate as they drove. Nico fell back into the seat as Percy's voice came through in the song. “That's better.”

“Bit rich listening to your own songs, don't you think?” asked Grover.

“Well it's good music,” shrugged Nico, “Besides, if I have to hear _All I Want For Christmas Is You_ one more time before actual Christmas, I will fucking kill someone.”

“I second that,” added Percy, who was humming along quietly to himself. Annabeth watched him with an amused smirk. It took him a couple of moments to notice her staring, but when he did, he just grinned and sang louder after placing a quick kiss to the back of her hand, which lay in his free one between the seats. She blushed and smiled, but didn't stop staring at him.

When they pulled into the school parking lot, Percy circled the car again and opened the door for Annabeth before helping her out. She flashed him a small grateful smile before turning to take in the school. She had to admit, she did an amazing job of preparing it for the dance. She really outdid herself this time.

She debated on the color scheme for a while. There was an appeal of going blue-orange, but in the end, since it was a formal dance, Annabeth decided to go with purple-gold. Balloons were thrown all over the courtyard, and spirals put by the entrance. The reflector lights from the football field gave everything an eerie glow, a silver halo around the main building. The lights in the courtyard were wrapped in thin orange paper so that they cast a golden light down where they shone. Music was already blaring from the sound system inside. People flooded into the parking lot and courtyard, over the cheap, long black carpet she had set up by the main entrance. The students with a knack for photography were taking photos all over, and the voices and laughter from the students arriving filled the air. From what she could see, there was already a big crowd waiting by the entrance, as in the main hall, Annabeth had a photo-booth of sorts set up, with a professional photographer, so the arrivals could take real photos when they got there, with the school name and logo in purple and gold embroidered on white canvas decorated by the art students. It looked good so far, she was proud of herself.

Percy whistled, “Wow! This looks incredible!” He looked down at Annabeth, “You really killed it, Wise Girl, it looks awesome!”

“Thanks, I've put a lot of work in it,” she smiled proudly.

“Well, you deserve to enjoy it now,” Percy grinned, offering his arm, “Shall we?”

Annabeth looped her arm through his, “We shall.”

They made their way down to the line of students waiting to enter the dance, where Jason, Piper, Thalia and Reyna had already been waiting in line, keeping a spot for their entire group. Will and Nico walked ahead of Percy and Annabeth, and Grover went to wait for the other girls with Leo. Frank and Hazel appeared beside Percy and Annabeth soon enough, having told them Connor and Travis joined Leo and Grover.

“Annabeth, this looks incredible!” exclaimed Hazel, “You outdid yourself.”

“Thanks,” Annabeth smiled and squeezed Hazel's upper arm gratefully. She won't lie, she enjoyed the praise. She was often told her pride would someday get the worst of her, but she couldn't help it. She was a proud person, and she liked the praise.

The rest of their friends appeared by them just as Thalia and Reyna entered and moved to take photos. They pushed their way to the group, much to the dismay of the crowd gathered behind them. Leo leads them, holding hands with Calypso. Jason and Piper went in just after Reyna and Thalia, and Nico and Will went a little while after them. Annabeth and Percy kind of debated just skipping the line and going straight to the gym without taking photos, but by the time they came to a decision, it was already their turn to go, so they thought they might as well.

Once they were done at the photo booth, and the photographer's assistant had complimented Annabeth's dress, as she evidently did with every girl who passed by her, she let Percy lead her to the huge gym where the main party was going on. Now that was a sight to see. The ceiling was covered in purple and gold helium balloons. Curtains of the same color scheme decorated the walls, as well as tiny flags with the school logo between them. There were some more balloons on the floor, though significantly less than on the ceiling, so people could dance. The woodshop club made a small stage, surrounded by speakers, where a small local band played. A little to the side was the DJ's booth, ready to play slow songs and other stuff the students might order because let's face it, these dances may start off formal and nice and proper, but they all turn into raves sooner or later. The bleachers were pulled out on one side, lined by tables of snacks and drinks on the sides. The opposite wall was lined with a couple of dozen bar tables with high stools for the lucky early goers. The wall where the entrance to the gym was was taken over by a long table for the chaperone professors, who seemed pretty bored for the time being. Still, overall, she loved how it all turned out.

“Come on,” she called out to Percy, leaning up so he could hear her over the music playing, “Let's find a table.”

“Those all seem taken,” Percy pointed out as she untangled her arm from his and took him by the hand instead, pulling him through the crowd towards the bar tables.

“Sweetie, I was in charge of organizing, it has its perks,” Annabeth smirked, glancing over her shoulder at him. “Unless you wanna go sit on the bleachers with the others?”

A grin spread over his face, and he quickened his pace so he was walking beside her, instead of being pulled along, “We hang with them all the time. Tonight, just us, yeah?”

“Hell yeah,” Annabeth laughed as she reached the table she had kept for her. Usually, she didn't abuse the upsides of organizing these things, but this time, why not? Percy pulled out the chair for her and helped her up. Annabeth shrugged off her jacket and let it hang on the backrest as he climbed onto the stool opposite of her. Then he jumped back down. “Want something to drink?” he asked, knocking his knuckles on the surface of the table twice.

“Whatever you're having, thanks,” Annabeth replied. Percy shot her a smile and disappeared through the crowd. While she waited for him, Annabeth pulled out her phone, to see a text from her dad, from over three hours ago.

**Dad**   
_Have fun tonight :)_

Annabeth smiled and quickly typed in a response.

**Annabeth**   
_Thanks dad! Sorry it took me so long to reply, I was at Piper's. See you soon, I hope ;)_

She hadn't expected a reply any time soon, so she was surprised when her phone rang, just after she had set it down. She picked it back up and looked at the caller ID, “Hey dad! What's up?”

“Sorry to bore you while you're at the dance, I just wanted to let you know some good news,” came the reply, and she could hear the joy in her dad's voice.

“What is it?” she asked, eager to know.

“I'm coming back home in a week!” he exclaimed over the line, and a huge smile spread over Annabeth's face in an instant.

“Really?”

“Yes, really!” he said, “I managed to rush things up a little bit, so I can get home for Christmas. We can have that dinner you wanted. Just the two of us.”

“I'd love that,” Annabeth said, her smile not wavering, “This is great dad, I'm so glad to hear. How's the research coming along too?”

“It's going great, but that doesn't matter right now. I just wanted to let you know I'll be back soon,” he said, “Now go back to your dance. Have fun sweetie.”

“Thanks dad. I'll call you tomorrow.”

“Take photos, I wanna see how it all went.”

“Will do. Love ya!”

“Love you too honey.” And the line died after that. Annabeth put her phone away again, and rested her chin against her palm, elbow on the table. A smile still adorned her face when Percy returned with two glasses of some fancy colorful drink and a glass of punch, She was impressed, that much she had to admit. Percy was by far the clumsiest person she knew, and he somehow balanced it all so nothing spilled.

“Someone's chipper,” he said, setting the drinks down, “What did I miss?”

“My dad just called. Said he'll be home for Christmas!” Annabeth announced cheerfully.

“That's great, Beth!” Percy grinned, “I'm really happy. But you'll still come over Christmas morning right?”

“Hmmm we'll see,” Annabeth joked, and Percy made that adorable baby seal face. Annabeth laughed and reached over to grab his hand. “I'm kidding, I'll be there. Who knows, maybe we can arrange something and have dinner together. The two of us, your mom, Paul, my dad, everyone.”

“Now that would be one proper disaster, but we'll see,” Percy chuckled, picking up his drink. He and Annabeth clinked glasses, and both took sips of it. Annabeth gagged immediately, coughing a little, while Percy just made a sort of disgusted, but impressed face.

“Holy Hera, what is that?” Annabeth yelped.

“No idea. I just saw it by the bar and went 'COLORS' and took two,” Percy shrugged, and to be honest, that was probably the most Percy thing he could've done. “I kinda like it.”

“Well, I hate it,” Annabeth laughed and pushed the glass over to him, “You can have it. I'm taking this.” She grabbed the punch and pulled it over towards herself.

“Suit yourself,” Percy shrugged and had another sip of his drink. 

A couple of minutes of small talk later, the music slowly died down, and all the students in the gym turned to look at the stage. Their music teacher, Mr. Papadopoulos took the stage behind the mic, earning a few snickers for his orange _Dumb and Dumber_ suit.

“Leave it to Freddie to rock that suit,” Percy leaned over and whispered to Annabeth, just as Mr. Papadopoulos started talking.

“Good evening everyone! It's my honor to welcome you all to this year's annual Winter Formal Dance!” he exclaimed, earning a few cheers and claps from the students. “Now, I won't take too long here, I would just like to thank our organizing team lead by miss Annabeth Chase,” he gestured to where Annabeth was sitting and made her blush as all heads turned in her direction. A few claps and cheers from Percy and her friends echoed through the hall right before Mr. Papadopoulos continued, “for organizing such a lovely evening! You guys really did great this year. 

“And thank you all for coming tonight! The entry-fee you've paid beforehand for the dance, along with all the other events that took place during the term goes to a good cause, as always. This year we are donating to a local animal shelter to help promote and find homes for many lovely animals that currently reside there. So thank you all for helping out! Now I'm gonna get off this stage before you all get jealous of my suit! Enjoy the evening, you guys deserved it!”

The hall erupted in cheers, louder than before, and the DJ took his place at the stand, putting the first songs in. A ballad Annabeth didn't exactly recognize right away took over the cheers, and soon the band came in too. Slowly, one by one, people rose from where they sat and moved to the dance floor, cleared so they wouldn't trip over things other than their own feet.

Annabeth turned back from the stage to face Percy, to find him standing beside her, offering his hand, “Care to dance?”

“Do you actually know how to slow dance?” Annabeth asked through a small smile, taking his hand and climbing down from the chair.

“Never too late to learn,” he shrugged as they made their way through the sea of people already dancing. “Doesn't look too hard, so I can't be that bad.”

“Hmm, I'll be the judge of that,” Annabeth hummed and threw her hands around his neck. Percy pulled her in by the waist and they started moving to the rhythm of the song with the others. Never once did they break eye contact, they just kept staring at each other. For the millionth time in her life, Annabeth was amazed just by how green his eyes were. It truly was impossible to have such eyes, but Percy has already shown her time and time again that nothing was impossible when it came to him. He himself was an enigma, a puzzle she was still nowhere near solving, but that was okay. She liked the mystery, and she loved constantly being impressed by him. He truly never ceased to amaze her.

“You're not too bad,” she said after a few minutes. He only stepped on her foot once, and she had to admit, that was partly her fault, she didn't move correctly.

“See, I told you I could do it,” he grinned teasingly.

“Yeah well, you've shown me many times that nothing is impossible to you, so this isn't really that surprising,” Annabeth confessed.

“There is one thing impossible even for me,” he said, “And that's figuring out how I got you, Annabeth Chase, to love me.”

“Well, I can answer that,” Annabeth grinned, “You've been yourself. You've just been you. And you've been kind to me. And you made me laugh, and you made me dream. And you showed me just how amazing life can be if I opened my eyes to things other than academic success. You set me free from myself, you've been a friend, my best friend, and somewhere along the way, I guess I fell in love for the first time.”

Percy smiled, big and bright and sincere, and his eyes glinted. “You're amazing, Annabeth, you know that? You really are the most incredible person I've ever met. Except for my mom,” he joked.

“Well, I can't argue with that, Sally is one hell of a woman,” Annabeth laughed.

“I know,” Percy chuckled, “But seriously. I've never met anyone like you. I've never met anyone who could make me feel so warm and fuzzy on the inside. I've never met anyone who'd make me stay up until ungodly hours of the night, just because I couldn't stop thinking about them. And you've given me back my music, that spark that was gone for a long time, and you showed me what it was to feel joy, proper joy again. I know we've only known each other properly for about four months, but I feel like you've known me my whole life. And being your boyfriend, and just your friend, it made me the luckiest man on Earth.”

“I love you, Seaweed Brain,” Annabeth whispered, blinking away tears from her eyes.

“I love you too, Wise Girl,” he smiled. Annabeth grinned and leaned up at the same time he leaned down. Their lips met halfway, moving slowly, gently, but with so much passion it sent shivers down Annabeth's spine and made blood rush up into her cheeks. Percy pulled her closer to himself, and she hugged him tighter. They parted for breath, and Annabeth rested her cheek against his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his back as they moved in sync and she took in the salty scent of the ocean that always followed him around. Percy rested his face against the top of her head and held her close to himself as the song carried them away.

Annabeth was well aware of the many, many pairs of eyes on them, but she paid no attention to them. She and Percy got quite a few odd looks when they were seen together at school, and she received many scowls from other girls, and it only increased when they started officially dating, holding hands and hugging and kissing in the corridors. People stared at them and wondered how the hell did the teacher's pet, the top of the academic list manage to get together with the biggest troublemaker in the school, but Annabeth never paid any mind to them. 

And she didn't now either. Now, it was just her and Percy, holding each other and letting the music carry them away.

* * *

After a good long while of dancing, both with their dates and with each other, to slow and fast songs, the girls decided to take a break, while the boys somehow got a hold of a basketball and were throwing it around with a couple more dudes. Annabeth was watching them as they all tackled Leo to the floor when Calypso's voice pulled her out of her daze, “You know, I don't think I've ever seen Percy as happy as he is when he's with you.”

“What do you mean?” Annabeth asked, furrowing her brow.

“I mean, when we dated, sure, he laughed, he joked, he was sweet, caring, kind, everything you could ask for in a boyfriend. But he was never fully free,” she explained with a faint smile, “But I see him now with you, and I can't help but think that there's no couple more perfect for each other. You complete him. And he completes you. I'm really happy you guys found each other.”

“Thanks Calypso,” Annabeth grinned sincerely and squeezed her hand in good nature. 

“And I hope it isn't weird for you that he still sometimes hangs out with his ex,” Calypso laughed nervously, and Annabeth saw her asking if it was okay.

She smiled at the caramel-haired girl, “Of course it isn't! Percy's allowed to be friends with whomever he wants, I'm not gonna stop him. And I can see that your friendship means a lot to him. And besides, I like you too, so it's fine by me.”

“Oh good, I'm really glad,” Calypso sighed in relief, “I just... You know how girlfriends can sometimes be towards ex's, so I just wanted to make sure. I mean, I knew you weren't the jealous type, but I just wanted to be sure.”

“Oh I most certainly am the jealous type,” laughed Annabeth, “I'd kill for Mr. Papadopoulos's suit.”

Calypso chuckled, “We all would.”

“And what's the deal with you and Leo? How's that going?”

“It's good. Different, but good. He's a great guy, I like him a lot. Drew doesn't exactly approve of our relationship, but I've been meaning to break things off with her for a long while now, so that's fine. I honestly hate her, I don't know why I even befriended her in the first place,” sighed Calypso, “And I'm sorry for all the times I stood by and watched her insult you and your friends. I hope you know I never approved of it. And I did try to stop her a bunch of times, but you know how she is.”

“Don't worry about that, none of us ever blamed you. We had a strong feeling you were nothing like her, so we never held any grudges,” Annabeth said. “And I'm glad things are going well with Leo.”

“Yeah, me too,” Calypso smiled, “I should probably get him out of there before the bigger guys squish him to death.”

Annabeth laughed and watched her leave the table. Not that long after, the empty seat opposite her was filled in again. Her date was back, hair ruffled, and a big, manic smile on his face. She knew that smile probably meant no good, but she still loved it.

“Hey,” she greeted, “Having fun?”

“Loads,” Percy laughed, “Man, Frank really sucks at basketball.”

“Well, he's a big guy, more of a football player if you ask me,” Annabeth shrugged.

“Actually, he likes archery the most,” said Percy to her surprise, “Though there's no team here, so he plays football with us, ya know.”

Annabeth nodded along as he spoke, glancing at the party around. It certainly has died down, everyone either sitting around or making out in dark corners. She imagined it would spark up again sooner or later when the DJ and the live musicians returned, but after having been there four hours already, Annabeth was honestly over it all.

“You bored?” Percy asked, looking a little guilty.

“Kinda,” Annabeth admitted with a shrug.

“I'm sorry, I shouldn't have left you alone, I said it was just us tonight and then I went to chase balls with the guys,” he sighed and reached over to grab her hand, “I'm sorry.”

“Dude, relax, it's not like you abandoned me,” Annabeth chuckled, stroking the back of his hand with her thumb. “My feet were killing me, I needed a break anyway. Besides, I've had a nice chat here with Calypso, she's really cool. I like her.”

“You do?”

“Yeah, I do,” Annabeth smiled. Percy beamed at her, his smile as gentle as his touch.

“What do you say we get out of here?” he suggested, nodding towards the back door.

“Oh no, we don't have to, you were having fun-”

“I've been over all this for the past hour and a half,” Percy laughed, “Come on, we can slip out unnoticed by the others if we head out now.”

Annabeth glanced around, and he was right. Travis, Connor, Leo, Katie, Miranda, and Calypso were engrossed in a conversation on the bleachers. Thalia and Reyna were still dancing, completely focused on each other. Will and Nico were by the snack table, making out. Jason and Piper were also making out on the bleachers a couple of rows below the Stolls and the others. And Frank and Hazel, and Grover and Juniper were standing in their own little corners, chatting away.

Annabeth turned back to Percy and grinned, matching his own smile of mischief, “Let's go.”

They hopped down from the stools and made their way out, hand in hand, careful not to be noticed by the others, or else they'd make them stay God only knows how much longer. Percy held the door open for her as they stepped outside, facing the football field. Annabeth shivered slightly from the cold. Her jacket had fallen off her chair and was ripped up by another one sometime while she was dancing. Speak of leather quality, but honestly, what else was she expecting of a jacket on sale for 20$?

She felt a soft weight on her shoulders and looked down to see Percy gently throwing his jacket around her shoulders. She smiled up at him gratefully, “Thanks.”

“Don't mention it,” he winked at her as he looped his arm around her waist and they made their way around the school towards the street. “I'm sorry your jacket got ruined.”

“Eh, it's fine,” Annabeth shrugged, “I'm not all that sorrowful.”

“Right well, I have to say this one suits you better,” he smirked and kissed her cheek. Annabeth chuckled as he did it. They walked in silence for a little bit before Percy broke it off with a great question. “Hungry?”

“Starving,” Annabeth admitted, “The usual place? Are they still open?”

“We should get there just on time to get takeout,” Percy grinned and they took off in the direction of their favorite diner.

Annabeth snatched Percy's phone from his jacket pocket, smiling a little at the lock screen and home screen that showed the two of them, one where they were kissing, and one from the park – she opened his vast music library, finding her favorite cheerful playlist; the one titled _'Annabeth's favorites <3'. _As they walked down the deserted road, music blaring, they sang along to Queen, Green Day, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac, The Beatles, and other classic artists. Their rather awful screaming was often cut short by hysterical laughter, so much that Annabeth's stomach and cheeks hurt, and her eyes watered more than once. Percy evidently wasn't much better off, his face beet red from hollering with laughter.

They reached the vacant parking lot of their favorite little diner just about ten minutes before midnight. Still laughing like they were drunk, they stumbled into the diner and saw the waitress Mel by the counter. She groaned and rolled her eyes at them.

“Two fries, chocolate and strawberry milkshakes to go coming right up, you scoundrels,” she announced and then flashed Annabeth a smile and a wink, “Lovely dress, Annabeth dear. Percy, you don't look too bad yourself.”

“Thanks Mel,” Percy caught his breath and smiled at the waitress.

“Sorry to burst in like this ten minutes before closing,” Annabeth apologized as she took a seat beside Percy at the counter.

“Oh don't be sorry, it's always a pleasure to see my two favorite customers coming in so happy,” Mel laughed as she sent the order back to the kitchen, “If I may ask, what's got you two dressed up so fancy?”

“School dance,” Percy shrugged, “We decided to bolt. I'm pretty sure we're also the first ones to do so tonight.”

“I wouldn't know,” Annabeth shrugged.

“Right well, I hope you had fun,” Mel smiled, “I'm gonna go get your order.”

Percy was already reaching for his wallet, but Mel stopped him, “On the house.”

“Thanks,” he grinned as she disappeared into the backrooms.

They waited a few minutes before Mel returned with two large steaming cardboard boxes of their delicious fries and two big plastic cups of milkshakes. Percy had slipped a nice tip for her in the jar while she was gone, which Annabeth found rather endearing. They had burst in just before closing, and still got served. And free of charge too, it was only fair towards Mel.

The two took their orders, thanked Mel once again, and stumbled back out the door. Percy turned the music back up as they devoured their fries, still laughing like crazy as they talked about nothing and everything at the same time. 

“Hold on, we gotta rub this into the others' faces,” Percy said after a few minutes of walking and stopped in his tracks. He grabbed his phone and opened his Snapchat, clicking on the giant group chat. Annabeth looked over his shoulder at the messages. She usually didn't do that, but she was part of the chat anyway, so she'd see them sooner or later. Percy opened the camera and held out his fries and milkshake, Annabeth doing the same. He quickly took the photo and put in a caption, _“We're having so much more fun than u guys XD”_. Annabeth laughed as he pressed send and put his phone away.

“They're gonna be so mad when they see we've bolted,” she said.

“Oh we're doomed,” Percy laughed, agreeing with her as they took off down the road again. 

The two of them made their way towards that small playground between their places. They spent many evenings there, just sitting on the swings and enjoying each other's presence. Annabeth's feet hurt from the heels, so once they reached the old, rusty swing set and sat down, Percy's phone still blasting music from his pocket, she immediately took her shoes off.

“You know, I really had fun tonight,” Annabeth said, breaking off the silence they were in, “I'm glad we did this, it was nice.”

“Me too,” Percy grinned and leaned over to press a quick kiss to her lips. They got a little carried away after that, the quick peck turning into a breathless, passionate make-out session. They moved as one, the perfect pair. When they broke off, panting and blushing and grinning like crazy, Annabeth took the sight of him, in the light of the full moon above them.

“You're staring at me,” Percy pointed out with a sly smirk.

“You're staring at me too,” Annabeth countered.

“True,” Percy shrugged, “But seriously, what is it?”

“Nothing, I just...” she sighed, dropping her gaze to the ground before looking back up at him with the sincerest smile ever, “I love you, Seaweed Brain.”

Percy let out a tiny breath and smiled down at her too, pressing his forehead to hers, “I love you too, Wise Girl.”

And at that moment, it was all perfect. Everything in the world. Because he was her world, and she was his star. And much has changed over the last short four months, but what the two of them had, neither would ever trade away. 

Because they were just right together. 

The perfect pair, the perfect duo. 

Wise Girl and Seaweed Brain.

And they knew then, and they always would, that it was true. They were perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And it's over! Officially! I honestly can't believe this story is over, finished. It took me so long to finish this epilogue, and I hope it was satisfactory and enjoyable. I hope you enjoyed the story as a whole, I really did pour my heart and soul into it. And I am sorry for the long wait on some chapters, I hope they were worth it.
> 
> Thank you for all the support and love you showed for this! Thank you for reading. Thank you for every single comment, kudo, hit and bookmark. Thank you for sticking with the story and following it. Thank you for everything.
> 
> I really hope you enjoyed the whole thing, I did my best with it. I've mentioned another Highschool AU coming in the future, but not anytime soon. All I can say is that it will probably be significantly longer than this one, and focus on more characters and be more POVs. And maybe a Dark!Percy series is coming too, we'll see ;)
> 
> Once again, thank you so much for reading and the support! You guys are awesome! I love you all, and I hope to see you more in the future!
> 
> Until some next time, stay safe, stay positive, stay awesome!
> 
> Love,  
> Astralda


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